The Joint Commission Established Accreditation for Telehealth and VIrtual Patient Monitoring
The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that operates as the standards-setting and accrediting body for health care. Since 1951, it has provided accreditation for hospitals, home care providers, nursing care centers, behavioral health care providers, ambulatory care providers and laboratory service providers. Recently, it developed and adopted standards for Telehealth Accreditation. The new TEL program replaces the existing telehealth and technology based accreditation programs. Organizations that provide only telehealth services and other healthcare providers who provide telehealth as part of a larger package of services are eligible for accreditation. The new accreditation requirements address telehealth across multiple topics, such as leadership, human resources, emergency management, information management, provision of care, record of care, and patient rights, among others. While most of the telehealth standards will apply to all healt