Originally published in Becker's Hospital Review.
The Joint Commission’s new National Performance Goals take effect in January 2026 and language access, once viewed as a patient experience issue, is emerging as a core safety and accreditation requirement.
Health systems are being asked to reexamine how communication, equity, and compliance intersect. Most already have interpreters, meet minimum industry compliance standards, and tick the federal regulatory boxes. But as the Joint Commission sharpens its focus on equitable communication, it’s becoming clear that compliance alone won’t cut it.
These changes are big, but so is the opportunity. The next era of healthcare quality will be defined not by who has language access, but by who’s doing it right.
For over ten years, I’ve helped health systems meet standards and comply with changing regulatory and accreditation requirements, so let’s break it down.
Direct Language Access Implications
Communication and language access are now formally embedded in accreditation, particularly under Goals 4 and 7 of the Joint Commission’s 2026 National Patient Safety Goals.
Goal 4: “The hospital prioritizes excellent health outcomes for all.”
Hospitals are expected to stratify quality data by preferred language and address disparities in outcomes to advance health equity and meet patients’ social needs.
To make community resources and support services truly accessible, information must be available in the most common languages spoken by the hospital’s patient population.
Goal 7: “The hospital respects the patient’s right to safe, informed care.”
Nearly every element of Goal 7 connects to language access and patient communication. It mandates that patients receive information in a language and format they understand.
To meet this expectation, hospitals need a comprehensive plan with clear procedures, documentation standards, and evaluation processes to guide how language services are delivered and monitored.
For example, informed consent and discharge planning cannot be completed effectively if documents and discussions are not provided in the patient’s preferred language.
Effective language access empowers patients to participate fully in their care and helps clinicians practice while understanding each patient’s background, values, and preferences.
An Example of This Shift in Practice
Florida-based Lee Health exemplifies the shift toward communication as a safety and quality standard. The system wanted more than regulatory compliance from its language access program — it sought measurable improvements in safety, experience, and outcomes.
“We’re not checking a box or doing this because of regulatory requirements,” said Selynto Anderson, Chief Community Health and Impact Officer at Lee Health, in our analysis of the system’s approach to communication and safety.
“We truly want to create an exceptional experience for everyone who comes in contact with Lee Health, whether you’re a patient or a team member.”
To achieve that, Lee Health embedded qualified interpreters directly into its clinical workflows, combining bilingual staff with on-demand video remote interpreting (VRI) to ensure real-time access across their facilities. The system also began stratifying its operational scorecard by language, tracking readmission rates, discharge comprehension, and prescription understanding to identify where language barriers might affect outcomes.
“When we looked at things such as length of stay, readmissions, or even our quality and safety work, we saw positive improvements in all of those areas,” Anderson noted. “Language services were a huge piece of that.”
That data-driven approach mirrors the Joint Commission’s 2026 Goals 4 and 7 — emphasizing equity, communication safety, and informed care.
How Can a System be Ready for 2026 and Beyond
The Joint Commission’s 2026 framework sends a clear message: communication isn’t just part of the patient experience; it’s part of patient safety.
Hospitals can position themselves for success by:
1. Embedding language access within care delivery
2. Prioritizing interpretation quality and accountability
3. Using language data for continuous improvement
4. Building reliable language infrastructure
5. Staying adaptive to evolving best practices
6. Contributing to shared learning by supporting and sharing research
Hospitals that treat language access as a checkbox will fall short of the new standards. Those that embrace partnership will lead. Because when every patient can understand and be understood, outcomes improve, risks drop, and trust grows.
Research supports how imperative it is: patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) who receive care from professional interpreters have fewer misunderstandings, better treatment adherence, and are 40% less likely to experience serious adverse events than those relying on untrained interpreters or family members.
Compliance may start the conversation, but partnership is what sustains it. In 2026, that difference will define who’s ready for the next generation of care.
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