Crosswalk: the joint commission and centers for medicare and medicaid services pathway to patient safety and quality.

Perinatal nurses rely upon a myriad of resources in the course of providing care. Although not always appreciated by direct-care nurses, nurse managers, and administrators, regulatory and accrediting bodies exert a pervasive influence over the provision of care in almost every hospital in the United States. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency, and The Joint Commission (TJC) offering voluntary accreditation programs for hospitals hold a primary goal in common. They both aim to protect the health and safety of patients and improve the quality of hospital care. To further that aim, TJC has published a matrix, the "TJC-CMS Crosswalk." The "Crosswalk" provides a visual illustration of the alignment between TJC hospital accreditation standards and the CMS "Conditions of Participation for Hospitals in Medicare." This article defines the Conditions of Participation and associated Joint Commission Standards. A secondary goal is to explain the collaborative role of TJC in hospital certification for reimbursement in Medicare and its impact on hospital-based practice, perinatal education, and performance improvement activities.