OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joint Commission today announced a significant new children’s healthcare strategy designed to address gaps in how children’s hospitals are accredited and certified for the care they provide the nation’s youngest patients. This initiative marks a bold step forward in recognizing children’s unique healthcare needs, as currently, standards do not distinguish between the respective healthcare needs of adults and children.
“The reality is children are not simply ‘small adults.’ Their healthcare requires a specialized lens and approach,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Joint Commission. “That’s why Joint Commission is stepping up to work directly with the children’s health community to ensure our standards are applicable for this population, which should better support children’s healthcare organizations in their delivery of excellent health outcomes.”
In response to requests from the children’s health community, Joint Commission’s initial focus will be evolving its accreditation and certification programs for dedicated children’s hospitals, aiming to remove and/or revise inapplicable standards to better suit the circumstances of these organizations. To help determine what standards will be edited, Joint Commission has formed a Children’s Healthcare Advisory Committee, a high-level council of world-class pediatric clinicians and child healthcare executives who will advise on the development of this and other frameworks.
The Committee will be co-led by two distinguished children’s health leaders: Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, one of the nation’s top-ranked pediatric institutions; and Michael Anderson, MD, pediatric intensivist and former CEO of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Both will serve as senior thought leaders and subject matter experts for the initiative, sharing their decades of real-world experience and knowledge with the Committee.
“In my 26 years as a children’s hospital administrator, I’ve seen firsthand why children and the dedicated providers who care for them deserve health standards that reflect their unique needs,” said Riley-Brown. “I’m honored to help lead this critically important work and look forward to seeing the impact at Children’s National and across the country.”
The Committee will also explore how accreditation and certification can better serve the healthcare needs of children, from supporting their development to family-centered practices, and serve as a national forum for thought leadership, policy innovation, and clinical insight.
“We’re not just redefining standards—we’re building a future where leading children’s health experts are shaping the national conversation on healthcare excellence,” added Dr. Anderson. “This collaborative initiative is ensuring that quality and safety are not only preserved but amplified across children’s healthcare settings, enabling a better understanding of how we can best keep our loved ones safe and cared for.”
This strategic focus on children’s healthcare will be prominently featured at UNIFY™ 2025: Convening for Quality, Joint Commission’s inaugural thought leadership summit, taking place September 16–17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The conference will convene over 1,000 healthcare leaders, clinicians, and quality professionals to address the most pressing challenges in healthcare quality and safety.
“Children’s healthcare services are distinct, and we must intentionally evaluate and treat them as such,” said Dr. Perlin. “We’re proud to lead this effort—alongside the nation’s foremost voices—building appropriate, specialized healthcare standards for the children’s health community. Together, our goal is to build a framework for quality and safety that children and their families can rely on every time they walk through the doors of an accredited healthcare organization.”
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About Joint Commission
Joint Commission enables and affirms the highest standards of healthcare quality and patient safety for all. Founded in 1951, it is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare, evaluating more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs across the United States. As an independent, nonprofit organization, Joint Commission inspires healthcare organizations across all settings to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. Learn more at www.jointcommission.org.
Katie Bronk The Joint Commission 630-792-5175 press@jointcommission.org