The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit standards-setting and accrediting organization in healthcare. The Joint Commission’s mission is to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through healthcare accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in healthcare organizations.

The Joint Commission’s charge and strong track record make the organization a natural leader within the National Priorities Partnership. Through its collaboration with various healthcare groups and stakeholders, The Joint Commission works to improve healthcare in several key areas, including accreditation, performance measurement, patient safety and information dissemination.

“The National Priorities Partnership is a unique effort that has identified a set of National Priorities, developed by multistakeholder leadership, to help focus resources aimed at improving healthcare quality and patient safety,” said Mark Chassin, President of The Joint Commission. “This alignment of purpose and focus was created to move our country toward greater gains in both personal and population health.”

As part of the organization’s larger healthcare initiative, The Joint Commission's Hospitals, Language, and Culture: A Snapshot of the Nation (HLC) study has been designed to gather information about what hospitals are doing to address cultural and language needs among an increasingly diverse patient population. The HLC study is the first research study to explore these challenges and practices encountered in hospitals across the country.

For more information on the Joint Commission, please visit www.jointcommission.org.