OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, Aug. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joint Commission today announced a significant step forward in its approach to accelerating insights into quality, safety, and burden reduction. Austin Frakt, PhD, a nationally recognized health services researcher and health economist, will head the Joint Commission Research Center. Frakt will lead a team of researchers whose focus will be on translating the data and insights Joint Commission collects from its surveys and other programs into meaningful and actionable learnings for healthcare organizations and the broader field.
“The strongest business case for quality and safety can only be built on clear, evidence-based causation between action and outcome,” says Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Joint Commission. “Healthcare organizations are under immense pressure to deliver value more effectively and are asking for data and insights that clearly show the return on investments in quality and safety. Austin will help us examine the impact of our requirements and other safety practices to determine and amplify what adds value and, conversely, sunset what simply adds burden.”
Globally, healthcare organizations are operating under intense performance pressures. Today’s imperative is to deliver high-quality, compassionate, and safe care, while managing limited resources, increasing costs, and growing complexity. Everyone is seeking better insights into the relationship between quality standards, operational efficiency, and better health outcomes. Frakt will leverage the quantitative and qualitative data Joint Commission collects from healthcare organizations to understand those relationships. Such analysis is critical to helping healthcare organizations use evidence-based approaches to avoiding harm and improving outcomes.
“With over 25 years of experience in health services research, I’ve seen how data and insights can inform policy and drive clinical and operational decisions,” says Austin Frakt, vice president and chief research officer for Joint Commission. “No other organization has as much visibility, domestically and internationally, into what enhances quality and safety than Joint Commission. I look forward to working with Dr. Perlin and his leadership team to advance Joint Commission’s practical research capabilities and support healthcare organizations by providing the data and insights they need to improve operations and strengthen healthcare delivery.”
Frakt is the latest addition to Joint Commission’s new leadership team, which is now constituted by recognized leaders with operational, hands-on healthcare leadership experience. By understanding the complexities of the current healthcare environment, these leaders – including Frakt – are best positioned to support healthcare organizations, their leadership, and their clinical staff in driving safety, quality, and value in healthcare. Frakt joins Joint Commission from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he most recently served as the principal research scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management.
“Having known and worked with Austin for years, I am confident he is the right person to lead Joint Commission’s new Research Center,” says Beth McGlynn, former senior vice president of research and quality measurement at Kaiser Permanente, and professor emeritus at the Kaiser Permanent Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. “His deep understanding of healthcare operations and evaluative research make him an invaluable asset, and I look forward to seeing how his new role at Joint Commission will support accelerating safety and quality.”
In addition to exploring research opportunities that leverage Joint Commission data to disseminate reports and insights, Frakt will be working to establish the Joint Commission Research Center as a catalyst for scholarly activity on the science of accreditation and healthcare quality and safety by offering resources, support, and collaborative opportunities to researchers, clinicians, healthcare administrators, and policy experts. Through partnerships with accredited organizations and certified programs internationally, academic institutions, think tanks, and professional associations, the Center will promote the generation of new research to empower healthcare organizations to leverage research insights for their own improvement journeys.
To learn more about Joint Commission accreditation and certification, 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.
Katie Bronk Joint Commission 630-792-5175 press@jointcommission.org