Accreditation systems and standards

Accreditation

The Joint Commission: the significance and role of accreditation

Accountability is critical for good, reliable customer service in any field. It is no different in healthcare. Requiring health care institutions to be accredited by a reliable organization composed of members of the profession insures health care consumers that they can entrust their most valuable asset -- their health -- to a particular institution or a provider in good faith. "The Joint Commission accreditation involves evaluating a health care organization's performance in areas that most affect patient health and safety," according to a specific set of standards established by the commission ("About Accreditation," 2007, Joint Commission). "By achieving accreditation, a health care organization makes a commitment to follow the Joint Commission standards, which provide the framework for safe, quality care" ("About Accreditation," 2007, Joint Commission) the commission also monitors continued compliance, so that accredited organizations do not fall short, after meeting such high standards at an earlier point in their history.

Almost 50% of Joint Commission standards" are directly related to patient safety, such as issues of infection control and staffing and staff competence ("Our Commitment to Patient Safety," 2007, Joint Commission). These standards are meant to address such critical patient concerns as the ability of the accredited organization to effectively respond to unexpected events and its willingness to treat the patient with dignity and respect, such as telling a patient about the outcomes of the care provided to the patient in a timely and accurate fashion.

The accreditation process of the Joint Commission begins with an on-site survey of the organization asking for approval. The Joint Commission surveyors will talk to staff and patients and observe the care being provided, including certain specific areas of treatment such as the dispensation of medication. Then, the surveyors will provide advice to improve compliance with commission standards, provide feedback on areas for improvement, and finally issue an official accreditation report and decision. The different decisions can range from full, unconditional accreditation to provisional, conditional, preliminary, or preliminary or full denial of accreditation ("About Accreditation," 2007, Joint Commission). Accreditation means that the institution is compliant with all standards while organizations with compliance problems are given time to remedy the problem before they are fully denied accreditation. An organization will be placed on a watch, if a previously accredited organization has not met deficiencies in a timely manner.