The Joint Commission has officially created 2026 National Performance Goals for hospitals in the US to focus on the safety and well-being of healthcare workers providing care in addition to setting standards for patient care.

The Joint Commission was founded in 1987 and is an independent, not-for-profit organization that offers global accreditation programs for health care organizations, public health agencies and health ministries to reduce risk and improve patient care.

Workplace violence in healthcare and hospitals is now a top priority with 56 percent of workers saying they worry about safety in the workplace and 79 percent experiencing or witnessing aggressive behavior and threats according to a 2025 study by the Harris Poll.

The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission defines workplace violence as “An act or threat occurring at the workplace that can include any of the following: verbal, nonverbal, written, or physical aggression; threatening, intimidating, harassing, or humiliating words or actions; bullying; sabotage; sexual harassment; physical assaults; or other behaviors of concern involving staff, licensed practitioners, patients, or visitors.”

The Joint Commission can hold hospitals accountable for not protecting staff, patients and visitors from workplace violence. 

Instead of issuing fines, the way The Joint Commission enforces compliance is through its accreditation process which is tied to CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services).

If an organization fails to meet workplace violence prevention requirements, the Joint Commission can:

• Issue Requirements for Improvement (RFIs).
• Place the organization on conditional accreditation.
• In severe cases, deny or revoke accreditation, which can impact participation in Medicare/Medicaid and insurance contracts.

CMS has cited hospitals for systemic failures to provide a safe environment, including cases resulting in sexual assault of a nurse by a patient and patient fatalities after improper holds, and by a patient who was acting out and shot at in the hospital by an off-duty officer.

National Performance Goals NPG.02.04.01 Effective January 2026 for Hospitals

Here are the Joint Commission’s latest standards:

• The hospital has a workplace violence prevention program led by a designated individual and developed by a multidisciplinary team that most importantly has a process to report incidents, follow-up about them and inform the governing body.
• The hospital provides workplace violence training that is well documented at the time of hire, annually, or whenever staff changes occur.
• The hospital conducts an annual worksite analysis related to its workplace violence prevention program that documents the program’s policies, procedures, training, and best practices.

Who Is Affected?

These Joint Commission requirements apply to:

• Hospitals
• Critical Access Hospitals

Workplace Violence Solutions

Panic button systems such as Help Alert® are one of the best ways to meet and exceed the Joint Commission’s requirements for responding to and automatically tracking workplace violence incidents while significantly enhancing workplace safety.

Mobile Panic Buttons and Alarm Systems

Now is the time to invest in mobile panic-button systems with nearly two in five healthcare workers considering leaving their positions due to safety concerns according to the Harris Poll.  Forty eight percent of workers indicate panic buttons would give them peace of mind, directly behind on-site security guards and weapons detection as the first and second priorities, according to the poll. 

Importantly, 1 in 6 healthcare professionals in participating hospitals will activate the Help Alert system each year, according to data from RFT.  

Help Alert is a lightweight ID badge with a discreet panic button, which instantly alerts on-site security, providing the exact location of the employee in distress with continuous indoor and outdoor location tracking during a crisis, including parking lots. 

Help Alert’s non-Wi-Fi-based technology is more secure–which is critical with today’s cyber security threats–easier to install and more cost effective than other RTLS staff protection systems.

With one press to protect, the badge will blink red, emit one short vibration, and one long vibration to indicate the alarm has been sent, and then will blink green, and emit two short vibrations to confirm help is on the way.  These are the features that stand out to nurses from a survey of hundreds who use the system:

• Tactile and visual two-way feedback,
• Continuous tracking after press,
• Lightweight design and
• Parking lot coverage

Executives will appreciate how Help Alert:

• Complies with the Joint Commission’s workplace violence requirements,
• Reinforces their commitment to staff safety and retention and
• Lowers turnover and workers’ compensation costs.

Help Alert’s dashboard also has powerful reports that are built into the software that help an organization comply with reporting all incidents including alerts by:

• Day
• Hour
• Department
• Location
• Response Time in Minutes
• Day of the Week

The Admin Dashboard also monitors system health, access analytics, and easily view reports.

Schedule a demo of Help Alert.

In Conclusion

Hospitals can comply with the new Joint Commission workplace violence standards, foster a safety culture, provide inside/outside protection and enhance their reputation by installing the Help Alert staff protection system by RFT.