Accreditation & Surveys The Joint Commission
Accreditation guide
The Joint Commission accreditation
The Joint Commission’s home care program covers home health, hospice, pharmacy and personal care, with deemed options for Medicare home health, hospice and home infusion therapy. Accreditation “is voluntary and is not required for Medicare participation”; a deemed survey replaces the state survey agency’s certification survey, while CMS makes the certification decision.
Educational summary, last reviewed October 17, 2026. Not legal advice — confirm with the state licensing agency or counsel.
Last reviewed October 17, 2026. 20 findings: 13 verified, 7 provisional. 1 time-sensitive, flagged with a recheck date. How findings are sourced and labelled.
1Background and CMS recognition by program
| Accreditor | Medicare home health | Medicare hospice | Home infusion therapy supplier | DMEPOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Joint Commission | March 31, 2026 – March 31, 2032 source | June 18, 2025 – June 18, 2030 source | December 15, 2023 – December 15, 2029 source | Approved source |
| CHAP | March 31, 2024 – March 31, 2030 source | November 20, 2024 – November 20, 2029 source | September 25, 2024 – September 25, 2030 source | Approved source |
| ACHC | February 24, 2025 – February 24, 2031 source | November 27, 2025 – November 27, 2031 source | April 23, 2024 – April 23, 2030 source | Approved source |
| URAC | No | No | March 27, 2024 – March 27, 2030 | No |
| NABP | No | No | September 26, 2024 – September 26, 2030 | Approved |
| The Compliance Team | No | No | September 28, 2024 – September 28, 2030 | Approved |
| HQAA, ABC, BOC | No | No | No | Approved |
Medicare home health
VerifiedCMS approval term: March 31, 2026 – March 31, 2032. The renewal was published July 10, 2026, after the prior term expired, and applies from March 31, 2026; CMS’s review “yielded no findings” requiring revision.
Source: Federal Register 2026-13918 (TJC home health, July 10, 2026)
Medicare hospice
VerifiedCMS approval term: June 18, 2025 – June 18, 2030.
Source: Federal Register 2025-09870
Home infusion therapy suppliers
VerifiedCMS approval term: December 15, 2023 – December 15, 2029.
Source: Federal Register 2023-27469CMS Manual Transmittal r10467pi (HIT accreditors)
DMEPOS suppliers
VerifiedThe Joint Commission is on CMS’s list of eight DMEPOS accrediting organizations (updated January 9, 2026).
Source: CMS: DMEPOS accreditation organizations (updated January 9, 2026)
2Eligible providers and programs
Programs offered
ProvisionalThe home care program, established in 1988, covers home health, hospice, pharmacy and personal care, with a deemed option for Medicare home health and hospice and a home infusion therapy option. CMS, not the accreditor, makes the final Medicare certification decision.
Not yet confirmed — check with The Joint Commission.
Source: The Joint Commission: Home care accreditation fact sheetThe Joint Commission: Home care accreditation options
3Application and prerequisites
For a deemed home health survey the agency must have cared for at least 10 patients, at least 7 of them active at the initial survey, matching CMS’s rule.
Source: CMS State Operations Manual, Chapter 2Federal Register E8-6316 (March 28, 2008)
Fees
ProvisionalPricing has two parts: an annual fee each year of the cycle and an on-site survey fee in the survey year, both based on average daily patient volume. No current dollar schedule is published; quotes are on request.
Not yet confirmed — check with The Joint Commission.
4Standards and current edition
Where the standards are
ProvisionalHome care standards are published in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Home Care, a paid manual, organized in chapters such as Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services. The 2026 chapter list was not reviewed.
Not yet confirmed — check with The Joint Commission.
Standards crosswalk to Medicare
VerifiedFor deemed programs, an accreditor’s standards are crosswalked to the Medicare Conditions of Participation (42 CFR 484 for home health, 418 for hospice, 486 Subpart I for home infusion therapy) (42 CFR 488.5(a)(3)). From June 16, 2027, accreditors must use the language of the Medicare conditions as their minimum deeming standards, and may add stricter requirements.
Source: 42 CFR 488.5Federal Register 2026-12069 (AO oversight final rule, June 16, 2026)
5Governance, personnel, QAPI and safety
What the standards cover
ProvisionalDeemed-program standards follow the Medicare conditions plus the accreditor’s own additions, typically across governance, quality assessment and performance improvement, infection control, medication management, emergency preparedness, patient rights and staff competency. Standard numbers and text are proprietary and are not reproduced here.
Not yet confirmed — check with The Joint Commission.
Source: 42 CFR 488.5
6What surveyors review
Survey cycle and length
ProvisionalHome care organizations are surveyed within an 18–36 month range; all deeming surveys are unannounced. Non-deemed surveys typically take 1–2 days and deemed surveys at least 3, scaling with census and locations.
Not yet confirmed — check with The Joint Commission.
Source: The Joint Commission: Home care accreditation fact sheetThe Joint Commission: unannounced survey fact sheet
7Readiness, the on-site survey and decisions
Decision categories
ProvisionalAccredited; Accreditation with Follow-up Survey (within six months); Preliminary Denial of Accreditation (for example an immediate threat to health or safety, falsification or lack of a required license), subject to review and appeal; Denial of Accreditation after appeals are exhausted. Awards run three years.
Not yet confirmed — check with The Joint Commission.
Source: The Joint Commission: Accreditation and certification decisions
8Deficiencies, correction, follow-up and appeals
Evidence of Standards Compliance
ProvisionalRequirements for Improvement are resolved through an Evidence of Standards Compliance submission within 60 days of the survey findings report being posted.
Not yet confirmed — check with The Joint Commission.
Source: The Joint Commission: Accreditation and certification decisions
9Renewal and ongoing obligations
Re-survey ceiling
VerifiedAccreditors must re-survey each accredited provider “no later than 36 months after the prior accreditation effective date”, and surveys must be unannounced (42 CFR 488.5(a)(4)(i)).
Source: 42 CFR 488.5
An accreditor and its consulting affiliate may not provide fee-based consulting to a provider before its initial accreditation survey, to providers it accredits within 12 months before their next re-accreditation survey, or in response to a complaint (42 CFR 488.8(i)).
Source: Federal Register 2026-12069 (AO oversight final rule, June 16, 2026)
10Deemed status, state recognition and limits
What deemed status does
VerifiedA deemed provider is treated as meeting Medicare requirements on the accreditor’s survey. It must let its accreditor release its most current survey to CMS; home health and hospice accreditor surveys are disclosable, and hospice results from October 1, 2022 are posted publicly (42 CFR 488.7). State survey agencies run validation surveys, and a provider found out of compliance loses deemed status until it complies (42 CFR 488.9).
Source: 42 CFR 488.742 CFR 488.9
Accreditors may not survey initial Medicare applicants until the MAC has reviewed the CMS-855A and recommended approval (SOM chapter 2 §2003C).
Initial certification surveys of new home health agencies and hospices not exempt from the nationwide moratorium that began May 13, 2026 “shall not continue” while it lasts.
Time-sensitive. Recheck after about November 13, 2026, when CMS reassesses the moratorium.
Accreditation does not replace a state license where one is required. CMS requires deemed hospices to hold state licensure where state law requires it.
Source: Federal Register 2025-09870
11State by state
Several states accept accreditation in place of a routine licensure survey or for part of licensure; the list varies by accreditor name. Oklahoma’s rule names “Medicare, JCAHO or CHAP”; Ohio’s names ACHC, CHAP or The Joint Commission; Texas names The Joint Commission, CHAP and ACHC.
In practice: Every state on one map: accreditation in place of a state survey.
Official sources
- Federal Register 2026-13918 (TJC home health, July 10, 2026)
- Federal Register 2025-09870
- Federal Register 2023-27469
- CMS Manual Transmittal r10467pi (HIT accreditors)
- CMS: DMEPOS accreditation organizations (updated January 9, 2026)
- The Joint Commission: Home care accreditation fact sheet
- The Joint Commission: Home care accreditation options
- CMS State Operations Manual, Chapter 2
- Federal Register E8-6316 (March 28, 2008)
- The Joint Commission: home health sell sheet
- The Joint Commission: home care standards FAQ
- 42 CFR 488.5
- Federal Register 2026-12069 (AO oversight final rule, June 16, 2026)
- The Joint Commission: unannounced survey fact sheet
- The Joint Commission: Accreditation and certification decisions
- 42 CFR 488.7
- 42 CFR 488.9
- CMS FY 2027 Mission and Priority Document
- OAC 310:662
- OAC 3701-60-03
- 26 TAC §558.503
Revision history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-17 | First published |
About this guide. Published and maintained by Paloma Health Technologies; Findings are cited to official sources, dated and status-labelled; see the editorial policy. Educational summary, last reviewed October 17, 2026. Not legal advice — confirm with the state licensing agency or counsel.
Questions
The Joint Commission: common questions
Does The Joint Commission have CMS deeming for home health?
Yes. Its current Medicare home health approval runs March 31, 2026 to March 31, 2032, published July 10, 2026.
Is Joint Commission accreditation required for Medicare?
No. Accreditation is voluntary; the default path is a survey by the state survey agency.