Joint Commission to Fine-Tune Children’s Hospital Accreditation

Joint Commission is developing a strategy to address gaps in how children’s hospitals are accredited and certified for the care they provide.

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.

“The reality is children are not simply ‘small adults.’ Their healthcare requires a specialized lens and approach,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Joint Commission, in a statement. “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.”

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 Michelle Riley-Brown, M.H.A., president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, and Michael Anderson, M.D., pediatric intensivist and former CEO of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

“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 in a statement. “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 Anderson in a statement. “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.