Effective July 1, 2011, the Joint Commission has added notes to two elements of performance in its accreditation standards for hospitals (RI.01.01.01 EPs 1 and 2) to align with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requirements for equal patient visitation rights. The new note specifies: “Visitation rights include the right to receive visitors designated by the patient, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same–sex domestic partner), another family member, or a friend.”
Ignatius Bau 