OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, June 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joint Commission today announced the launch of its new Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare (RUAIH) certification. RUAIH delivers on a promise made in 2025 when the company released initial guidance to help U.S. health systems safely and effectively implement AI, which was developed after Joint Commission convened more than 20 key coalitions and groups with expertise in both healthcare and technology.
“Joint Commission’s goal is to provide governance support for delivering the safest and highest quality care for U.S. health systems across the care continuum. With more than 80% of physicians currently using AI in professional settings, there is a fast-growing need for universal standards for implementing this transformational technology in responsible ways,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO, Joint Commission. “AI has the potential to unlock discoveries and improve quality, safety, and operating efficiency. With this new certification, Joint Commission is providing healthcare organizations with the blueprint for safely and appropriately using AI.”
While AI tools are proving to be increasingly revolutionary, the use of AI also inevitably comes with some risk, from data privacy and security, to data inaccuracies, to lack of transparency in the AI decision-making process, and more. At its core, RUAIH recognizes that responsible AI use is not only a technology issue – it is a patient safety, quality, governance, privacy, and trust issue.
RUAIH is a voluntary certification program designed to recognize hospitals, critical access hospitals, and health systems in the U.S. that demonstrate they have the governance, safeguards, monitoring processes, and education in place to use AI responsibly in healthcare settings. The certification focuses on the safe, reliable, transparent, and ethical use of AI by healthcare organizations – it does not validate or certify individual AI products or tools. The certification standards are organized around five major areas: governance; effective data management; risk and bias reduction; monitoring, evaluating, and validating safety performance, effectiveness, and responsible use; and transparency, education, and training.
“We are seeing the power of AI every day in our work. Most evidently, it is making our processes more efficient and our staff more productive, enabling nurses and doctors to spend more time doing what they love most: delivering quality care to patients and their families” said Aaron Miri, DHA, FCHIME, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Information Officer, Baptist Health. “It is critical that hospitals have a framework to follow for this emerging and evolving technology. This new certification from Joint Commission has been long-awaited by our organization and many others across the industry as AI tools become increasingly embedded in our clinical, operational, administrative, and care-support workflows.”
“Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) applauds Joint Commission’s new voluntary certification announced today,” said Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO of CHAI. “The Joint Commission certification and CHAI's recently published governance playbooks are tightly aligned on the need for responsible and transparent AI in healthcare. We believe this alignment will greatly reduce confusion and help to accelerate rapid and responsible adoption of AI in healthcare.”
Interested healthcare organizations do not need to be accredited by Joint Commission to apply for the certification. To learn more, visit https://jointcommission.org/en-us/certification/responsible-use-of-ai-in-healthcare.
To learn more about Joint Commission accreditation and certification more broadly, visit https://www.jointcommission.org/en-us/accreditation/accreditation-360.
About Joint Commission
Joint Commission enables and affirms the highest standards of healthcare quality and patient safety for all. Founded in 1951, it is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare, evaluating more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs across the United States. As an independent, nonprofit organization, Joint Commission inspires healthcare organizations across all settings to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.
Learn more at www.jointcommission.org.
McKenzie Naylor Joint Commission (630) 792-5173 press@jointcommission.org
