As of June 30, 2025, The Joint Commission announced a significant update to its accreditation standards: beginning in 2026, the Environment of Care (EC) and Life Safety (LS) chapters will be consolidated into a single “Physical Environment” chapter. This change is intended to streamline compliance by eliminating redundancies and aligning more closely with CMS Conditions of Participation (CoPs). While this may appear to reduce the number of standards, most previously applicable requirements will still be enforced in full.
The updated standards are expected to be published in July 2025 and will take effect on January 1, 2026. A transition period is anticipated, during which The Joint Commission is not expected to cite facilities that continue referencing the former format.
Another notable change is that the standards will now be freely available to the public via a searchable online database, improving transparency and accessibility.
Code Red Consultants is available to help your facility understand and prepare for the impact of these updates. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for support.