Joint Commission launches new certification for total hip and knee replacements

In response to the surging numbers of joint replacement procedures and the complexity of care required by patients who undergo them, The Joint Commission is now offering advanced certification for providers of total hip and total knee replacements and their scope of care.

The program focuses on the whole care continuum—from pre-operative consultations to surgery to post-operative rehabilitation—and places strong emphasis on collaboration and shared decision-making between providers and the patient at every stage.

The program’s grounding in person-centered care places primary focus on care transitions and quality continuity, and includes greater attention on pain management, quality of life levels, patient education and activities of daily living.

In today’s environment of accountability and quality-minded reimbursement, certification can also be a benefit to post-acute care partners. “The advanced certification will give providers an unparalleled advantage when it comes to providing coordinated and comprehensive care to patients undergoing a total hip or total knee replacement,” said Wendi Roberts, RN, BA, MS, CLNC, executive director of certification for the Joint Commission, in today’s announcement.

The advanced certification program is open to any Joint Commission-accredited acute care or ambulatory care provider.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.