In response to healthcare organization feedback, Joint Commission updated the program to focus on critical patient safety areas while reducing the reporting burden by streamlining and tailoring measures based on hospital services. We reduced the number of measures available, focusing on measures that address three priority areas: maternal health, patient safety, and psychiatric hospital care.

Additionally, we reduced optionality in the measure set, with fewer reporting requirements overall. The measures included for the 2026 program have strong scientific backing. These measures are either outcome measures or process measures where evidence clearly links the care processes to better patient outcomes.

The updated ORYX program requirements will allow organizations and surveyors to learn from a more robust and representative data set. The standardized ORYX measures closely align with what organizations already report to CMS or other agencies, resulting in reduced measurement burden and a shared focus on topics that matter.

Finally, we are enhancing our data infrastructure, including future updates to our data submission platform and analytics products.

The CY2026 annual reporting requirements and list of available measures are available within Confluence (see left side table of contents). External users can also access annual requirements via the Measurement > Reporting section of our external Joint Commission website.

Added: Effective 1/1/2026 patient discharges and applicable to CY2026 ORYX Requirements, Joint Commission added the following as an available optional measure towards meeting ORYX requirements:

• eCQM: PC-08 Timely Treatment of Severe Hypertension

Retired: Effective 1/1/2026 patient discharges and applicable to CY2026 ORYX Requirements, Joint Commission retired the following measures:

• eCQM: Safe Use of Opioids - Concurrent Prescribing

• eCQM: OP-ExRad Excessive Radiation Dose or Inadequate Image Quality for Diagnostic Computed Tomography (CT) in Adults (Outpatient)

• eCQM: HH-PI Hospital Harm - Pressure Injury

• eCQM: GMCS Global Malnutrition Composite Score

• eCQM: HH-ORAE Hospital Harm—Opioid Related Adverse Events

• eCQM: OP-40 ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)

• eCQM: PC-01 Elective Delivery

• eCQM: PC-05 Exclusive Human Milk Feeding

• eCQM: STK-2 (eCQM) Discharged on Antithrombotic Therapy

• eCQM: STK-3 Anticoagulation Therapy Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter

• eCQM: STK-5 Antithrombotic Therapy by End of Hospital Day 2

• eCQM: VTE-1 Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis

• eCQM: VTE-2 ICU Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis

• Chart: ED-1 Median ED Arrival to ED Departure-Admit

• Chart: ED-2 Admit Decision Time to ED Departure-Admit

• Chart: IMM-2 Influenza Immunization

• Chart: OP-18 Median ED Arrival-ED Departure at Discharge

• Chart: OP-23 Head CT or MRI Scan Results-Stroke

• Chart: PC-01 Elective Delivery

• Chart: PC-02 Cesarean Birth

• Chart: PC-05 Exclusive Human Milk Feeding

• Chart: SDOH-1 Screening for Social Drivers of Health

• Chart: SDOH-2 Screen Positive Rate for Social Drivers of Health

• Chart: SUB-2 Alcohol Use Brief Intervention

• Chart: SUB-3 Alcohol & Drug Use Treatment at Discharge

• Chart: TOB-3 Tobacco Use Treatment at Discharge

The CY2026 reporting requirements and list of available measures are provided within Confluence via the table of contents
2026 ORYX Performance Measurement Reporting RequirementsPreview page, or paste the following URL text in your web browser: https://jointcommission-ddsp.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DCS/pages/1030619137

No. NHSN group participation will not be required for 2026, though we recognize NHSN as a valuable data source that may be considered for future program requirements. Organizations do not need to take any action. Joint Commission will manage the necessary updates to the NHSN group status on their behalf.

Per the description in your Joint Commission Connect eApp/General Application under Hospital site information > “Volume”, outpatient visits: Includes all clinics, outpatient surgery, physical therapy, radiology. Excludes all Laboratory tests.

No; Effective 1/1/2021 patient discharges, we removed the option of self-reporting data. All organizations with ORYX requirements must submit eCQM and/or chart-abstracted data to Joint Commission via the Direct Data Submission Platform (DDSP). Hospitals that previously self-reported data are required to submit their data via the DDSP.

Please see the “ORYX Performance Measurement Timeline” documentation for key dates and information.

https://jointcommission-ddsp.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DCS/pages/71008257/ORYX+Performance+Measurement+Timeline

Effective CY2023 data, chart-abstracted measures can be resubmitted if an organization identifies errors in previously entered data. For more information on resubmission, see the Resubmission help topic: https://jointcommission-ddsp.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DCS/pages/141295632

•(Large) Acute Care Hospitals are defined as having Licensed Beds >= 26 OR Outpatient Visits >= 50,000

•(Small) Acute Care Hospitals are defined as having Licensed Beds <26 AND Outpatient Visits < 50,000

•Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Accreditation Program reporting requirements are not defined by Licensed Beds / Outpatient Visits, and are not required to submit perinatal care measures regardless of if they have an obstetrical unit - but may do so if they choose

•Freestanding Psychiatric Facility reporting requirements are not defined by Licensed Beds / Outpatient Visits and are required to submit chart-abstracted HBIPS measures plus one additional self-selected measure

•The Specialty Hospital designation was removed effective CY2021; all hospitals previously designated as "Specialty" for ORYX reporting purposes were placed in the appropriate ORYX policy based upon Licensed Beds and/or Outpatient Visits.

Refer to the annual reporting requirements and list of available measures applicable to each setting/service on the Measurement > Reporting part of our external website or copy and paste the following web address in your internet browser: Accreditation Performance Measurement