Accepted: Revised hospital and critical access hospital requirements to align with CMS.

reapplied to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for deeming authority for accredited hospitals. In response to CMS’s winter 2014 and spring 2014 reviews of its application, The Joint Commission developed and revised several elements of performance (EPs) for hospitals and for rehabilitation and psychiatric distinct part units in critical access hospitals. The revisions, which are effective July 2, 2014, are designed to demonstrate equivalency to the current Medicare Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs). The revised requirements appear on The Joint Commission website at http://www.jointcommission.org/standards_information/ prepublication_standards.aspx and will be published in the July 2014 E-dition® update as well as the 2014 Update 2 to the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH) and Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Critical Access Hospitals (CAMCAH) scheduled for release in fall 2014. An updated hospital crosswalk will be published in the July 2014 E-dition update. Any additional changes that may result from further CMS review will be communicated in future issues of Perspectives and Joint Commission Online. For more information, please contact Laura Smith, project director, Department of Standards and Survey Methods, The Joint Commission, at lsmith@ jointcommission.org. P AccePted: Revised Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Requirements to Align with CMS