The Joint Commission first established National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) in 2002 to help accredited organizations target critical areas where safety can be improved, such as medication safety and reducing the risk of hospital acquired infection. All Joint Commission-accredited health care organizations are surveyed for compliance with the requirements of the Goals—or acceptable alternatives—as appropriate to the services the organization provides.
The Goals and Requirements are re-evaluated each year; some may continue while others will be replaced because of emerging new priorities. New NPSGs are announced in the year prior to their implementation.
Your organization may state that it is in compliance with the NPSGs and your organization must state when that was validated. For example, “We were last surveyed for compliance with the National Patient Safety Goals in 2006,” or “Our compliance with the National Patient Safety Goals was validated by the Joint Commission in 2006.”
Your organization must be in compliance with all applicable NPSGs in order to receive a “check mark” on the summary page of your organization’s Quality Report. Tell your organization’s patients, residents or clients to “look for the check mark” when evaluating health care providers.
If your organization fails to comply with one or more of the Goal Requirements and receives a “minus symbol” on its Quality Report summary page, your organization may still publicize its compliance with the goals and requirements it has complied with. In this instance, your organization may not imply compliance with all applicable NPSGs.