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. Organizations are continually monitored by the commission, to ensure continued compliance. Also, "all Joint Commission accredited health care organizations are surveyed for implementation of the goals and requirements -- or acceptable alternatives -- as appropriate to the services the organization provides," when general improved standards are...

("Our Commitment to Patient Safety," 2007, Joint Commission). Thus, the Joint Commission is constantly reassessing its own standards, and the rigor of its accreditation process to ensure that it keeps pace with the demands of the changing healthcare environment. It sends a periodic newsletter to participating organizations that identifies specific types of deficiencies such as wrong-site surgery and restraint-related deaths, "describes their common underlying causes, and recommends steps to prevent occurrences in the future ("Our Commitment to Patient Safety," 2007, Joint Commission). Accreditation is not a fixed status; rather it is a reflective and critical process for both the health care providers and the accrediting commission itself.
Works Cited

About Accreditation." (2007). Joint Commission. Retrieved 27 Feb 2007 at http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/About_Accreditation.htm

Our Commitment to Patient Safety." (2007). Joint Commission. Retrieved 27 Feb 2007. http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/PatientSafety/#1