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Nurse Staffing: A National Performance Goal for Patient Safety
- Akshaya Kuhikar Vitawerks
- Nov 21, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
Nurse staffing has just crossed a historic milestone. In a landmark move, The Joint Commission has formally elevated nurse staffing to a National Performance Goal. This signals that safe nurse staffing is no longer optional but pivotal for patient safety. For years, the American Nurses Association has tirelessly advocated for staffing to be embedded as a core quality measure. They argue that adequate nurse numbers and proper staffing standards save lives. Effective January 1, 2026, hospitals will need to meet clear staffing policies, especially in critical access settings, to maintain accreditation. This shift validates what nurses have always known: nurse staffing standards are fundamental to preventing harm, improving outcomes, and ensuring high-quality care.
Nurse Staffing Recognized as a Core Element of Patient Safety
The healthcare industry has reached a major turning point. This change places nurses, patient safety, and quality care at the center of national standards. For the first time, nurse staffing has been formally elevated within The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals, now renamed the National Performance Goals. This highlights what nurses have advocated for over decades: that safe nurse staffing is directly tied to better outcomes and overall patient well-being.
This decision didn’t happen overnight. It represents years of dedicated advocacy, leadership, and collaboration from the American Nurses Association (ANA) and its partners. They have worked tirelessly to emphasize why nurse staffing standards must be a foundational part of patient care. With the introduction of the new National Performance Goal 12, healthcare organizations must now prove they are following staffing policies. This includes a requirement that a nurse is present whenever a Critical Access Hospital has one or more inpatients. This new standard becomes effective January 1, 2026, and plays a major role in accreditation and reimbursement moving forward.
Nursing leaders have long insisted that patient safety and nurse staffing aren’t just staffing issues; they are patient protection issues. As Dr. Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, President of ANA, stated, nurses have been warning for years that proper staffing saves lives.
The inclusion of nurse staffing as an official national performance goal validates what frontline caregivers already know:
Safe staffing prevents patient harm.
Better staffing improves patient outcomes.
Reliable nurse coverage creates a safer environment for everyone.
While this update marks a significant step forward, nursing leaders continue to advocate for other accrediting bodies to follow the same path. They want safe nurse staffing to become a universal expectation across all hospitals.
To push this forward, ANA brought together the National Nurse Staffing Task Force. They collaborated closely with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and other partners. Their unified effort, grounded in evidence, research, and real-world nursing experience, played a key role in bringing this change to life.
As Katie Boston-Leary, Senior Vice President of Equity & Engagement for American Nurses Enterprise, shared, this milestone is proof of what happens when nurses lead with purpose. It showcases the power of persistence and reinforces how the collective nursing voice can influence national healthcare policy in a meaningful way.
This moment not only supports nurses; it strengthens the foundation of patient care nationwide.
Explore the Joint Commission’s New National Performance Goals
About the American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has a long and influential history. It is the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing more than 5 million registered nurses. For generations, ANA has been a driving force behind elevating the nursing profession and strengthening the foundation of healthcare. By championing The Power of Nurses™, the association continues to lead efforts that empower nurses and shape the future of care delivery.
ANA’s impact stretches across multiple areas, including:
Legislative and policy advocacy that protects nurses and prioritizes patient safety.
Comprehensive educational programs designed to support lifelong learning and professional growth.
Industry-defining ethical standards, including the widely respected Code of Ethics and Scope and Standards of Practice.
Initiatives to build healthier work environments, ensuring nurses are supported, valued, and safe.
Collaborative partnerships that strengthen the nursing profession and improve the overall healthcare experience.
Through these efforts, ANA remains a trusted voice for nurses across all specialties and practice settings. Its mission continues to focus on elevating excellence in nursing, shaping forward-thinking healthcare policies, and driving meaningful improvements that benefit both clinicians and patients nationwide.
What the New Nurse Staffing Requirements Mean for Hospitals & Health Systems
The introduction of National Performance Goal 12 (NPG 12) marks one of the most significant updates to The Joint Commission’s expectations around safe nurse staffing. For hospitals and health systems, this means staffing can no longer be treated as an operational challenge alone. It is now a clinical quality priority tied directly to patient safety.
Here’s how these new requirements impact healthcare organizations:
Greater accountability: Hospitals must prove they have enough qualified nurses to meet patient needs across every unit and shift.
Survey readiness becomes continuous: Staffing levels, skill mix, and clinician workload will be reviewed more closely during surveys.
Higher risk of citations: Any mismatch in staffing, credentialing gaps, or lack of coverage planning may lead to compliance findings.
Staffing must be data-backed: Hospitals need clear metrics to show how nurse staffing decisions are made, monitored, and adjusted.
Operational planning becomes more complex: Leaders must proactively build strategies to meet fluctuating demand while minimizing burnout.
In short, safe staffing is no longer optional; it’s a measurable requirement that influences accreditation, patient outcomes, and organizational reputation.
What This Means for Healthcare Staffing Agencies
Staffing agencies will play an even bigger role under the new National Performance Goals. As hospitals work to meet stronger nurse staffing standards, agencies become key partners in delivering reliable, flexible workforce support.
Key impacts on staffing agencies include:
Increased demand for qualified nurses: Hospitals will turn to agencies to fill persistent shortages, especially in high-acuity and specialty units.
Faster credentialing expected: Agencies must provide credentialed, compliant nurses who can start sooner to help hospitals maintain coverage.
Higher expectations for consistency: Hospitals need dependable partners who can supply talent without frequent gaps.
More pressure to maintain nurse quality: Agencies must ensure clinicians stay compliant with certifications, licenses, and required documents.
Rise of workforce technology: Agencies using modern platforms for scheduling, staffing automation, and credential tracking will be better positioned to support compliance.
For agencies, this shift presents a major opportunity, but only if they operate with speed, quality, and strong technology backing their workflows.
How Vars Health Helps Organizations Stay Compliant with Safe Nurse Staffing Standards
As safe staffing becomes a measurable and reportable standard, organizations need technology that helps them stay ahead of accreditation, compliance, and operational challenges. Vars Health provides a unified, AI-powered platform built to support hospitals and agencies in meeting these new expectations.
Key support capabilities include:
Real-Time Scheduling & Shift Coverage
Automatically identifies staffing shortages.
Sends instant notifications to fill open shifts.
Helps meet safe staffing ratios across every unit.
AI-Powered Nurse Matching
Matches qualified clinicians to each shift based on specialty, credentials, and past performance.
Reduces time-to-fill and improves placement accuracy.
Credentialing Automation
Tracks expiring licenses and certifications.
Prevents non-compliant clinicians from being scheduled.
Ensures hospitals meet Joint Commission credential requirements.
Compliance Monitoring & Analytics
Visibility into coverage, workload, and staffing patterns.
Data to support surveys and accreditation reviews.
Reports aligned with safe staffing compliance metrics.
Mobile App for Nurses
Lets nurses manage shifts, documents, and communication in one place.
Improves engagement and reduces last-minute cancellations.
With growing pressure to improve staffing reliability and patient outcomes, Vars Health provides the automation, intelligence, and operational visibility organizations need to stay compliant and deliver consistent, high-quality care.
Key Takeaways
Here are the most important points from this update:
The Joint Commission has introduced National Performance Goal 12, focused entirely on safe nurse staffing.
Hospitals must meet stricter requirements around quality, staffing mix, workload balance, and documentation.
Staffing agencies will play a critical role in helping hospitals meet coverage demands and maintain compliance.
Safe staffing is now tied directly to patient safety, accreditation status, and operational risk.
Technology like Vars Health helps healthcare organizations meet these standards through automated scheduling, credentialing, matching, and compliance reporting.
Safe nurse staffing is now a national priority. Organizations that invest early in technology, workflows, and compliance infrastructure will be best prepared for 2026 and beyond.
Want to stay compliant and meet the new nurse staffing standards with confidence?
Book a demo with Vars Health to see how our AI-powered staffing, scheduling, and credentialing platform helps hospitals and agencies deliver safe staffing every day.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the new nurse staffing requirements?
The updated National Performance Goals now require healthcare organizations, especially Critical Access Hospitals, to maintain clear policies and procedures for nurse staffing. This includes ensuring that a qualified nurse is always on duty whenever inpatients are present. These requirements reinforce the importance of safe nurse staffing and set a stronger national expectation for maintaining appropriate staffing levels to protect patients and support clinical teams.
2. How does nurse staffing affect accreditation?
Nurse staffing standards are now directly tied to accreditation through National Performance Goal 12. Hospitals must demonstrate compliance with their staffing policies or risk jeopardizing accreditation status. Because accreditation influences reimbursement, quality ratings, and patient trust, maintaining strong nurse staffing practices is now more important than ever.
3. What is National Performance Goal 12?
National Performance Goal 12 is a new requirement established by The Joint Commission that elevates nurse staffing as a core patient safety measure. Effective January 1, 2026, healthcare organizations must show that they follow formal staffing policies and ensure proper nurse coverage at all times. This goal highlights the direct link between nurse staffing, patient safety, and care quality.
4. How can hospitals meet nurse staffing standards?
Hospitals can meet these standards by creating clear staffing policies, ensuring consistent coverage, investing in reliable workforce planning, and implementing tools that help manage scheduling and staff allocation. Maintaining safe nurse staffing requires proactive planning, accurate shift management, and the ability to quickly fill gaps to avoid patient safety risks.
5. What technology supports safe staffing practices?
Modern healthcare operations rely heavily on technology to maintain compliance with patient safety and nurse staffing expectations. Platforms like Vars Health help organizations by:
Streamlining scheduling and shift matching.
Automating credential verification.
Providing real-time staffing insights.
Sending alerts for coverage gaps.
Supporting regulatory documentation.
These tools make it easier for hospitals and staffing agencies to uphold national staffing standards while improving efficiency and patient outcomes.
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