Hackensack Meridian Health Earns First Joint Commission AI Certification
The New Jersey health system demonstrates governance framework as voluntary accreditation program launches to address AI safety gaps.
A New Jersey health system has become the first organization to receive formal accreditation for responsible artificial intelligence use in healthcare, marking a milestone as the industry grapples with rapid AI adoption and governance concerns.
Hackensack Meridian Health earned the Joint Commission's Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare Certification, completing the evaluation process in just three weeks. The achievement reflects a four-year investment in internal AI governance infrastructure, according to Dr. Lauren Koniaris, the organization's chief medical informatics officer.
"As we expand our clinical AI initiatives, we operate under the utmost governance to ensure patient quality and safety are always the priority," Koniaris said.
Why it matters
The certification arrives as healthcare faces a critical gap between AI deployment and oversight. More than 80% of physicians now use AI professionally—a rate that has more than doubled since 2023, according to American Medical Association survey data from March. Yet only 27% of clinicians report knowing how their organizations address AI governance, according to Wolters Kluwer research. The voluntary accreditation provides a framework as federal regulation lags behind technological adoption.
Five-domain evaluation framework
The Joint Commission launched the certification program in June following a 2025 strategic partnership with the Coalition for Health AI. The evaluation covers five core domains: governance structures, risk and bias reduction, effective data management, monitoring and validation of safety and effectiveness, and education and training programs.
Organizations pay for the certification based on company type and size. The Joint Commission developed the assessment criteria using AI governance playbooks that CHAI released in May.
Established governance infrastructure
Hackensack Meridian Health operates 18 hospitals and hundreds of care sites across New Jersey. The system has deployed AI initiatives ranging from chatbot assistants on provider websites to predictive analytics for hospice transitions and heart disease detection models.
Koniaris emphasized that every potential AI tool undergoes evaluation against the health system's seven governance pillars before reaching clinical settings. "We have a dedicated team evaluating options—including screening tools from third-party vendors—with the specific goal of reducing administrative burdens so our clinicians can focus on patient care," she said.
Industry momentum building
Brian Anderson, president and CEO of CHAI, called Hackensack Meridian Health's certification "an exciting milestone, which marks a meaningful step toward making responsible AI governance a standard part of healthcare delivery." Anderson noted that many of CHAI's health system members are preparing to pursue the certification as the program gains traction.
Private consortiums have accelerated efforts to establish industry standards as AI adoption outpaces regulatory development. The Joint Commission's certification represents one approach to creating accountability mechanisms while federal agencies work to develop comprehensive oversight frameworks.
Healthcare Dive first reported these details.
This is an original analysis by the Omega editorial team. Source reporting: AI Watch.
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