Which of the following organizations provide accreditation for healthcare institutions?
Founded in 1951An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn and maintain The Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission, an organization undergoes an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years (Laboratories are surveyed every two years). Show
The Joint Commission is governed by a 21-member Board of Commissioners that includes physicians, administrators, nurses, employers, quality experts, a consumer advocate and educators. The Joint Commission employs approximately 1,000 people in its surveyor force, at its central office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, and at an office in Washington, D.C. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO, is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that accredits over 20,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the country. The JCAHO commonly is referred to as the Joint Commission in the healthcare industry and among governmental industry regulators on the federal and state levels. The Joint Commission is the successor of an organization established in 1951. Since then, it has grown to be the largest accreditation commission in the United States. The Joint Commission consists of a 21-member Board of Commissioners that include health care providers, educators and advocates. The commission employs over 1000 surveyors dedicated to improving the quality of patient care. Goals and Objectives of the JCAHOThe JCAHO has an explicitly stated mission: “To continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.” A major objective of the Joint Commission is to continually improve and enhance the quality and safety of healthcare delivery in the United States. Towards this end, the Joint Commission makes a concerted, consistent effort to engage patients in issues associated with improving the quality and safety of healthcare delivery across the country. For example, JCAHO has focused intensely on the
matter of infections that arise in healthcare settings, including surgical site infections and multidrug-resistant or MRSA infections. The Joint Commission has grown to include accreditation and safety protocols to improve patient safety in a wide range of healthcare settings. Hospitals, of course, are the original focus but over the years the Joint Commission has expanded their focus to include surgical centers, pharmacies, nursing home and long-term care facilities, ambulatory health
care centers, assisted living communities, behavioral health and human resource facilities, laboratories and many more. They have work continuously to improve safety protocols and have developed many specific practice area certifications. Education is also an important function of the commission. Standards are constantly evolving with input by the Board of Commissioners and feedback from healthcare providers, the latest scientific literature, government agencies and consumers all with the goal
of improving health care quality. These standards are designed to help organizations assess, measure, and improve performance. Standards provide a method for surveying an organization and set expectations for organizations to achieve performance goals. The Joint Commission reacts to current issues in medical care to improve outcomes and safety. Examples of this include studies of patient suicides to improve behavioral health standards. The Joint Commission reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by assisting hospitals in establishing emergency protocols to protect healthcare workers in the absence of adequate personal protective equipment. The Joint Commission also added a new board member to address concerns about the disparity in patient outcome based on race in the pandemic. The Joint Commission works to improve healthcare quality in the United States and internationally as well. Cost of JCAHO AccreditationHealthcare organizations and programs that seek certification via the Joint
Commission are required to pay the costs associated with this process. This includes the underlying fee for certification as well as associated costs. Associated costs include the travel expenses of those individuals from JCAHO that will be undertaking the certification review process at a particular hospital, medical center, research facility or other entity seeking this designation from the Joint Commission. While accreditation may seem like a costly and lengthy process, there are
many advantages. Joint Commission accreditation shows a commitment to quality patient care and patient safety. This will inspire community confidence in the organization and signal their focus on quality care. This may give the organization an edge in a competitive healthcare marketplace. Joint Commission standards are designed to help improve quality of care. Using these standards will help an organization manage and reduce the risk of error or low-quality care. The Joint Commission
standards are developed by experts in their field and periodically put up for field review. Through this process, practitioners may submit comments and suggestions to continuously improve standards and make sure they stay up to date with current practice. Accreditation may make liability insurance easier to obtain and possibly lower the cost. Depending on the location of the organization, accreditation may fulfill local or state regulatory requirements. Accreditation can satisfy requirements for
Medicare and Medicaid without additional surveys required. Accreditation is increasingly a requirement for contract bidding for insurance companies. Accreditation and ongoing review can aide an organization in developing improvement protocols. The survey is conducted by experts in their field who can provide tools for improving quality and maintaining structural improvement. Maintaining high quality care will attract and help recruit high quality personnel while developing current
personnel. Organizations that wish to pursue accreditation, may contact the Joint Commission to determine if they are eligible. After obtaining access to the accreditation standards, the organization can compare the standards to their own performance standards to determine if the organization is ready for the accreditation process. The organization can then submit an application to begin the process. The next step is a comprehensive on-site survey of the organization. Once an organization is approved for accreditation, the Joint Commission will assist in publicity to promote the newly achieved accreditation. In order to maintain accreditation, organizations will need to have an on-site survey every three years, except for laboratories which are surveyed every two years. Alternatives to JCAHO AccreditationAlthough JCAHO is the industry leader when it comes to healthcare organization and program certification, it is not the proverbial “only game in town.” Some states in the United States have their own certification agencies and do not rely on the Joint Commission to provide this service. States that undertake this effort on their own are in a minority at this juncture in time. There are other nonprofit certifications in the country. These organizations tend to focus on segments of the healthcare industry and are not as expansive or comprehensive in their reach as is the Joint Commission. Alternatives certification agencies in operation in the United States are: Featured Programs
Joint Commission Speakers BureauThe JCAHO maintains an extensive speakers bureau. The speakers bureau is made up of experts in their field. Making these speakers available to facilities is an important part of JCAHO’s commitment to continuing education and support of their accredited facilities .The commission believes that making reliable information about quality and safe healthcare delivery widely available is crucial to improving the overall operations of hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers in the United States. As a result, JCAHO speakers bureau has experts available to address vital topics that include:
The JCAHO is committed to helping organizations find the right speaker for their interests. Education and information are important functions of the commission. In order to find the best speaker for the event, requests should be made as early as possible, preferably at least eight weeks in advance of the event. After a speaker has been confirmed, the requesting organization will be put in contact with the speaker to work out the details. An honorarium will be charged for each speaker and the amount differs based on the specific speaker. The requesting organization is required to reimburse JCAHO for the speaker lodging, travel and meals. The majority of organizations and programs within the healthcare industry are certified via the Joint Commission. Accreditation by the Joint Commission continues to be the Gold-Standard for health care certification. Joint Commission accredited institutions show a strong dedication to quality health care to health insurance providers, liability insurance providers and the community which are ultimately the consumers of the organization’s services. The major role that JCAHO plays in the healthcare certification process is expected to remain into the future. Related Resources:
What organization is responsible for accrediting hospitals?Founded in 1951
An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
Which accreditation is best for healthcare?The Joint Commission International is an American-based non-profit healthcare accreditation organization that has a large-scale global presence. All countries recognize JCI accredited healthcare providers as maintaining the gold standard of healthcare.
Which of these is an accrediting organization?There are four independent hospital accrediting organizations in the United States: The Joint Commission, Det Norske Veritas Healthcare (DNV), the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ), and the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP).
Which is the world's largest healthcare accreditation?The International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) is an umbrella organisation for such organisations providing international healthcare accreditation. Its offices are based in the Republic of Ireland.
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