JCAHO The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations By K. Bufka, R. Jones, W. Mckinley & J. Ziemba

JCAHO 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." Vision Statement: "All people always experience the safest, highest quality, best value health care across all settings." (The Joint Commission, 2011)

JCAHO Founded in 1951, it is the oldest and largest standard-setting accrediting body in health care. Currently, JCAHO evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations. JCAHO is the leader in developing the highest standards for quality and safety in the delivery of healthcare. Evaluates an organization's performance based on these standards. (The Joint Commission, 2011)

JCAHO The Joint Commission was created to set standards in health care. Standards help guide organizations to administer care and continuously improve the performance of healthcare. JCAHO is the only organization with the capability and experience to evaluate healthcare across the continuum of care. (The Joint Commission, 2011)

What types of institutions does JCAHO accredit? JCAHO accredits many facilities –Ambulatory care –Mental health institutions –Long-term care centers –Home health care agencies –Laboratory services –Office based surgery –General, children’s, rehabilitation and specialty hospitals –Critical access hospitals (The Joint Commission, 2011)

How does an institution become eligible for JCAHO certification? Must be located in the United States, a United States territory or operated by a United States government agency. Has a quality review and improvement process. Can produce a list of services provided directly and indirectly to patients. Is able to adhere to JCAHO standards for patient care and improvement of patient care. (The Joint Commission, 2011)

How does an institution obtain and maintain accreditation? Submits an application with payment and continues to pay annual fees and survey fees. Participates in unannounced on site surveys every18 to 36 month from a multi-disciplinary team. Initiates and implements a plan of action to correct any problems found during a survey. Adheres to all JCAHO standards for the improvement of patient outcomes. Provides quarterly data on national improvement goals the are available for public review. (The Joint Commission, 2011)

What are the benefits of becoming accredited? Patient safety is improved. Advertising that the institution is accredited may bring in more patients. By showing that the institution is committed to quality health care, liability insurance premiums may decrease. Insurance reimbursements are larger if accredited (The Joint Commission, 2011).

Do accredited hospitals actually have higher quality ratings? Accredited hospitals have shown to have higher national standards in treatment of acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, and heart failure than those that are non-accredited. Trauma units have shown decreased rates in mortality (Schmaltz et. al, 2011). These studies are worthwhile because accreditation is expensive and time consuming for institutions.

How JCAHO influences Bill as an emergency medicine nurse: JCAHO influences me by continuous improvements in emergency medicine every day. Allows me to provide the safest and most up to date procedures. Provides continuous guidelines for increased patient outcomes.

How JCAHO relate to Kari in her medical/surgical position: Provides a “Do Not Use” list of abbreviations to help eliminate errors in orders. Establishes evidence-based practice guidelines to help decrease infections such as those associated with catheters. Provides guidelines to help ensure the correct patient gets the correct med (for example, use at least two identifiers, such as name or date of birth, for each patient).

How JCAHO influences Rhonda as a home care nurse: Focusing on the National Safety Patient goals related to home care. Implementation of evidence based guidelines to reduce infection rates with the use of proper hand washing, increasing safety with a fall prevention program and educating patients on oxygen safety in the home. The importance of educating patients on health care rights and advocating safe and quality patient care.

How JCAHO influences Jaime in medical/surgical & emergency medicine positions: Ensures that patient safety is of utmost concern. In the ER setting, a patient presenting with MI symptoms will receive up to date treatment to increase their survival. JCAHO gives a list of unapproved abbreviations to make sure patients are safe when given a medication. This will allow the patient to get the correct dosage and correct route.

Conclusion JCAHO is a non-profit organization that was set up to improve health care for the public to over 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. JCAHO is the nation's oldest and largest standards- setting and accrediting body in health care. JCAHO's mission is to inspire health care organizations to provide safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. Remember the JCAHO mission: "All people always experience the safest, highest quality, best value health care across all settings." (The Joint Commission, 2011)

References The Joint Commission (2011). About the Joint Commission. Retrieved from The Joint Commission (2011). Accreditation Process Overview. Retrieved from _29_11.pdf The Joint Commission (2011). Benefits of Joint Commission Accreditation. Retrieved from ion_8_23_11.pdf The Joint Commission (2011). Facts about hospital accreditation. Retrieved from _1_31_11.pdf

References The Joint Commission (2011). What is Accreditation?. Retrieved from Schmaltz, S.T., Williams, S.C., Chassin, M.R., Loeb, J.M., & Wachter, R.M. (2011). Hospital Performance Trends on National Quality Measures and the Association With Joint Commission Accreditation. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 6(8), pages