The Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual (RI) chapter updates were just released by the Joint Commission. These updates go into effect on July 1, 2022, and apply to ambulatory health care organizations, behavioral health care, and human services organizations, critical access hospitals, hospitals, home care organizations, and nursing care centers. Organizations surveyed by The Joint Commission should review these changes and update their policies and practice as needed.
Rights and Responsibilities (RI) Chapter Update Overview
The first update is a new element of performance that appears in RI 01.01.01 that applies to all surveyed facilities. It mandates that organizations support patient privacy and comply with applicable law/regulation in making and using recordings, films, videos, photos, and other images of patients. This applies to any audio or visual format. Leadership should consult with their state and local laws and regulations for specific requirements. Additionally, policies and procedures should be updated to reflect any changes.
The second update is a revision to RI 01.03.01 EP 1. This adds the requirement for an organizational written policy on informed consent, that describes the licensed practitioner permitted to conduct the informed consent discussion. This revision applies to ambulatory health care organizations, behavioral health care and human services organizations, critical access hospitals, hospitals, and home care organizations. Affected organizations should ensure their policy reflects this required criterion of the standard.
More information can be found at The Joint Commission Prepublication Standards link: https://www.jointcommission.org/standards/prepublication-standards/revisions-to-the-ri-standards/?ref=TJCAL21.