The Joint Commission awards orthopedic certifications to ASCs that meet core standards under the Disease-Specific Care Certification Manual.
Here are five things to know about The Joint Commission's certification options.
1. There are four orthopedic systems of care certification options for ASCs: Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement; Core Hip Replacement Certification; Core Knee Replacement Certification; and Core Spinal Surgery Certification.
2. Core hip or knee certification requires compliance with disease-specific care standards. This level of certification involves a one-day review and an organization chooses its performance measures, with at least two of the four being clinical.
3. Advanced certification for total hip and total knee has program-specific requirements in addition to the core disease-specific care standards. This certification level entails intraoperative observation and a two-day review.
4. For advanced certification, programs must have one patient undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery on-site at the time of the review.
5. Standardized performance measures for advanced certification went into effect Jan. 1.