The Joint Commission last week published a list of the five requirements hospitals and other health care organizations were most likely to miss in 2017.

Get the cheat sheets: How hospital quality ratings programs work

According to the Joint Commission, the list is based on a review of its hospital accreditation and certification surveys conducted in 2017.

Top 5 requirements hospitals did not comply with

The top 5 hospital accreditation requirements most likely to be cited as "not compliant" in 2017 were:

1. Provides and maintains systems for extinguishing fires, for which 86% of hospitals were not compliant;
2. Manages risks associated with a hospital's utility systems, for which 73% of hospitals were not compliant;
3. Provides and maintains building features to protect individuals from the hazards of fire and smoke, for which 72% of hospitals were not compliant;
4. Reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices and supplies, for which 72% of hospitals were not compliant;
5. Established and maintains a safe, functional environment, for which 70% of hospitals were not compliant.

See P4P data from across the nation

For critical access hospitals (CAHs), the top 5 accreditation requirements most likely to be cited as "not compliant" in 2017 were:

• Manages risks associated with hospital utility systems, for which 85% of CAHs were not compliant;
• Provides and maintains systems for extinguishing fires, for which 83% of CAHs were not compliant;
• Reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, for which 72% of CAHs were not compliant;
• Building and fire protection features are designed and maintained to minimize effects of fire, smoke, and heat, for which 70% of CAHs were not compliant;
• Inspects, treats and maintains medical gas and vacuum systems, for which 69% of CAHs were not compliant.

Top 5 accreditation misses for other organizations

The Joint Commission also published the top 5 accreditation requirements most likely to be cited as "not compliant" in 2017 for ambulatory care and home care providers.

For ambulatory care providers, the top five were:

• Reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies, for which 60% of ambulatory care providers were not compliant;
• Safely stories medications, for which 49% of ambulatory care providers were not compliant;
• Grants initial, renewed, or revised clinical privileges to individuals who are permitted by law and the organization to practice independently, for which 47% of ambulatory care providers were not compliant;
• Inspects, treats, and maintains medical equipment, for which 38% of ambulatory care providers were not compliant;
• Manages risks associated with its utility systems, for which 38% of ambulatory care providers were not compliant.

For home care providers, the top five were:

• Provides care, treatment, or services in accordance with orders or prescriptions, as required by law and regulation, for which 42% of home care providers were not compliant;
• Plans patient care, for which 41% of home care providers were not compliant;
• Implements planned infection prevention and control activities, for which 34% of home care providers were not compliant;
• Staff who are competent to perform their responsibilities, for which 32% of home care providers were not compliant;
• Patient record contains information that reflects the patient's care, treatment, or services, for which 29% of home care providers were not compliant (Vaidya, Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control, 4/17; Joint Commission article, 4/11).

Get the cheat sheets: How hospital quality ratings programs work

Download our one page sheets for summaries on the methodology and metric categories used in five hospital quality rating programs:

• US News and World Report Best Hospital Rankings
• CMS Star Ratings
• Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Grade
• Truven Analytics’ Top 15 Health Systems
• Truven Analytics’ Top 100 Hospitals

Get all the Cheat Sheets