Joint Commission: Remove Barriers to Mental Health Services

In a May 12 statement, the Joint Commission urged health care organizations to remove barriers to mental health care for clinicians and health care staff, who are under “unprecedented strain” due the COVID-19 pandemic. “Clinicians have concerns that seeing a mental health professional could adversely affect their career,” the statement said. “We strongly encourage organizations to not ask about past history of mental health conditions or treatment. As an alternative, we support the recommendations of the Federation of State Medical Boards and the American Medical Association to limit inquiries to conditions that currently impair the clinicians’ ability to perform their job.” (Joint Commission Online story, 5/13/20)