The Joint Commission's ORYX initiative: implications for perinatal nursing and care

In 1986, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations initiated the Agenda for Change, a new era in its accreditation process, announcing that it would begin to incorporate outcome or performance indicators into its review of hospitals. The expanded focus, to include performance indicators, was in direct response to the rapidly changing health care environment. From 1987 to 1993, the Joint Commission tested five sets of indicators at more than 450 volunteer hospitals. In February 1996, the Joint Commission announced the ORYX initiative. The article reviews the history of the Joint Commission's Agenda for Change and highlights the new ORYX initiative, with particular focus on the development of the perinatal indicators and the role of the perinatal nurse in meeting the ORYX requirements.