Joint Commission International Accreditation Standards for Hospitals, 6th Edition, provides the basis for accreditation of hospitals throughout the world. Joint Commission International (JCI) standards define the performance expectations, structures, and functions that must be in place for a hospital to be accredited by JCI. The effective date of the 6th Edition is 1 July 2017, which means all surveys that begin on or after this date will be surveyed under the 6th Edition. The standards are divided into two main sections: 1) patient-centered care and 2) health care organization management. In addition, two chapters are included for hospitals that meet eligibility criteria for academic medical center accreditation these address additional requirements for human subjects research and medical professional education. Each standard includes an intent statement, which describes the rationale for the standard, and measurable elements, which are the specific requirements of the standard. In addition to the standards, an introduction, the eligibility requirements, a summary of key accreditation policies, a glossary, and an index are included. Highlights of New Requirements: Develop and implement a program for antibiotic stewardship Develop, implement, and test a program for responding to global communicable diseases Conduct a pre-construction risk assessment when planning for construction and take action based on assessment Implement a staff vaccination and immunization program Address appropriate use of copy-and-paste in electronic medical record systems Develop, maintain, and test a program for response to planned and unplanned downtime of data systems Key Features: Summary of changes to standards requirements Chapter overviews describing the focus of each chapter List of standards-only at the beginning of each chapter for quick reference Updated and new references providing evidence and support for key topics in the standards Summaries of the Accreditation Participation Requirements (APRs) the full text of the APRs may be found on the JCI website