Local and national health equity communities are buzzing over the first set of awardees of The Joint Commission’s Health Care Equity Certifications, which are bestowed upon hospitals and health care organizations that, among other achievements, have successfully committed to tackling the foundational causes of health inequities and applying solutions to avert them.
Launched in 2023 by The Joint Commission, the voluntary certification program is a means by which healthcare organizations can materially distinguish themselves through their work in delivering enhanced health outcomes from their equity-focused programs and initiatives. The Joint Commission also provides a broad range of support for organizations seeking the certification, including a highly robust resource center that includes toolkits, videos and a deep library of strategies and supplies to best position the hospitals and healthcare centers to be successful in their pursuit of the certification.
Awardees of the certification are hospitals and critical care organizations possessing the requisite processes to target disparities and promote equity among their staff. The Joint Commission reviews more than forty standards relating to hospitals’ programs, such as staff training, reported patient experiences, quality measures, and partnerships with community organizations. As an example of the certification review process, New York-Presbyterian, which is one of the very first hospitals to be awarded the Health Care Equity Certification, produced data and broadly inclusive reports highlighting its work in addressing health disparities. The Joint Commission then applies a rigorous review process to submissions similar to that of New York-Presbyterian to evaluate and determine certification statuts.
Additional information about the Health Care Equity Certification process can be found here.
