J. J. Keller Helps Hospitals Prepare for New Accreditation 360 Initiative

J. J. Keller offers a live webcast, compliance brief, educational article and healthcare consulting services in preparation for the January 1, 2026, transition

For immediate release (September 9, 2025)

Neenah, WI - As hospitals prepare for Accreditation 360 — a significant transformation in healthcare accreditation — J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. is now offering a variety of free and paid resources to support their transition.

What is Accreditation 360?

Accreditation 360, which goes into effect January 1, 2026, is an initiative of The Joint Commission (TJC) to simplify the hospital accreditation process by removing over 700 elements of performance, combining Environment of Care (EC) and Life Safety (LS) into a new Physical Environment (PE) chapter, flagging the binding CMS Conditions of Participation (CoPs) within the accreditation manual, and introducing the SAFEST Program to promote best practices, among several other changes.

J. J. Keller Support Resources

To help hospitals prepare effectively, J. J. Keller is offering a variety of resources, including:

• Free webcast, Navigating the Transition to Physical Environment Standards: Understanding the Shift in Healthcare, taking place live on September 17, 2025 and available on demand through October 2. 2025
• Free compliance brief, 7 Q&As to Help Hospitals Understand Accreditation 360 Changes
• Free educational blog post, Countdown to The Joint Commission’s Accreditation 360 Standards Shift
• Suite of Healthcare Consulting Services

“While Accreditation 360 is designed to simplify the accreditation process, hospitals should not assume they’ll have fewer requirements,” said J. J. Keller healthcare safety consultant Micheal Miller, CHSP, CLSS-HC, CHFSP, CSP. “The number of elements of performance has plummeted, but the overhauled Physical Environment elements are less prescriptive. Many of these broadly worded elements of performance may still encompass all the previous requirements, even though they’re no longer found in the text.”

Challenges Hospitals Face

According to Miller, additional challenges hospitals face include:

• Adapting to the newly introduced PE chapter
• Retraining staff to understand and apply the new standards
• Updating internal policies and documentation to align with revised requirements
• Interpreting broader, less prescriptive compliance language
• Establishing infrastructure to track and report outcome measures
• Maintaining focus on quality of care amid a shift toward outcomes-based evaluation

“With so many changes and so much riding on successful accreditation, we at J. J. Keller want to make sure hospitals have all the information and assistance they need to succeed,” added Miller. “Early preparation is the key.”