The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) released a minor update to its standards on Aug. 29, 2025. While it won't have a major impact on agency operations, it does reflect a common alteration being made across the industry. 
 
In its revisions, the ACHC replaced previous mentions of “cultural diversity” with the terms “patient-specific needs” and “patient-centered care.” The update applies across provider types, including home care, home health and hospice. 
 
The surveyor noted in its announcement that providers won’t be required to update their current processes to reflect these changes and maintain compliance, unless they choose to remove previous mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from agency policies. 
 
If you have removed references to DEI, “you must ensure that you reference how your organization ensures that patient-specific needs are met,” ACHC notes. 
 
To view the ACHC’s revisions, visit https://achc.org/update-to-achc-standards