A new Sentinel Event list takes effect January 1, 2027, and VPC is ready to help you prepare
The Joint Commission is retiring its own Sentinel Events List and adopting the National Quality Forum’s 2025 Serious Reportable Events (SRE) list. The new list has 28 events. Only 13 of them line up with current sentinel events, which means 15 are new for Joint Commission–accredited organizations.
Last year’s Accreditation 360 overhaul cut the number of standards nearly in half. This year’s change goes the other way: the event list gets longer and more specific, and it now applies to every care setting, including ambulatory, home care, post-acute, and virtual care.
Reporting events to the Joint Commission stays voluntary, though your state may have its own reporting mandates. What doesn’t change is the expectation that every accredited organization identifies sentinel events, examines root causes, and makes improvements. The difference is which events now trigger that work.
The JC and NQF have published a crosswalk comparing the old list to the new one, along with detailed guidance for each event. For most organizations, this means updating event reporting policies, retraining the staff who identify and report events, and rethinking some prevention plans before January.
VPC can help you review your policies, train your staff, and practice your response before the new list takes effect.
New and updated events that touch safety and the physical environment
Many of the 28 events are clinical, but several land squarely on safety, security, and facilities teams:
- Fire, flame, or unexpected smoke, heat, or flashes during direct patient care, caused by the facility’s own equipment, regardless of the outcome (new)
- MRI-related thermal injuries (new) and unscreened devices or objects brought into MRI Zone IV
- Oxygen or gas delivery systems that contain no gas, the wrong gas, or toxic contaminants
- Elopement of a patient who lacks decision-making capacity, with patient abduction now rolled into this event
- Restraint and seclusion harm, plus patient suicide or suicide attempts up to seven days after discharge
- Sexual abuse or assault within a healthcare setting or on its grounds, regardless of the outcome
Workplace violence is still a sentinel event
The NQF list focuses on patient harm. The Joint Commission is keeping three of its own workforce safety events on top of it:
- Homicide of a staff member
- Sexual abuse or assault of a staff member
- Physical assault of a staff member
Workplace violence against healthcare workers continues to draw attention from state legislatures as well. Earlier this year, the Indiana House advanced a workplace violence reporting bill. Strong prevention, de-escalation, and reporting practices will matter more in 2027, not less.
Other Joint Commission and CMS changes to watch in 2027
The final phase of the CMS obstetrical services requirements takes effect January 1, 2027. Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals that provide obstetric care must document obstetric staff training in personnel files and extend their QAPI program to obstetric services. The first phase, which took effect in July 2025, already requires emergency readiness and transfer protocols, including at hospitals without labor and delivery units.
Accreditation 360 is still on its way for other programs. Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals moved to the new standards in 2026. Ambulatory care, behavioral health, home care, and nursing care programs are still working from their current manuals, and the Joint Commission has not yet announced their transition dates.
New leadership at the top. Dr. Jonathan Perlin retires as president and CEO on December 31, 2026. Chief Operating Officer Dr. James Merlino takes over on January 1, 2027.
Still catching up on the 2026 changes?
You’re not alone. The combined Physical Environment chapter, the new National Performance Goals, and the documentation changes from Accreditation 360 are still new for most hospitals. Read our breakdown of the 2026 changes, and reach out if you’d like a second set of eyes before your next survey.
Getting ready for the new Sentinel Event list? VPC can help
We’ll review your sentinel event policy and reporting procedures against the new list of 28 events and three workforce safety events.
We’ll train your staff in de-escalation, workplace violence prevention, and fire response in patient care areas.
We’ll run drills and tabletop exercises for elopement, fire, and obstetric emergencies, and help with root cause analyses and action plans.
