What Is Jcaho Certification?

The Joint Commission, formerly known as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), is a healthcare accreditation commission used by over 17,000 healthcare providers. It is one of several accreditation organizations, but often is the most recognizable and referred to as the "gold standard" in health care. The Joint Commission only awards accreditation or certification after a health care provider has met their rigorous standards.

History

• The Joint Commission was founded in 1951 with a mission to improve patient care outcomes. Without a method to measure outcomes, they can vary greatly by health care organization. The Joint Commission and organizations like the JCAHO work to give health organizations a way to compare the level of services offered, while working to achieve excellent patient care outcomes.

Function

• The Joint Commission's certification programs give patients a measure of assurance that they are in the care of a health care organization that is responsible and held to standards set by hospitals around the country.

Accreditation vs. Certification

• The Joint Commission offers accreditation and certification programs. Accreditation applies to health care systems such as hospitals. Certification applies to health care providers who offer specific services, such as chronic kidney disease care, and primary stroke care among others. Health care staffing services and international health care providers also may receive certification.

Significance of Certification

• Joint Commission-certified health care providers are thought to offer the highest standard of care for their patients. The Joint Commission measures patient safety, sentinel events such as death, and measures the performance benchmarks of certified health care providers.

Time Frame of Certification

• After a health care provider has been through their first Joint Commission process, recommendations for changes and/or improvements may come back and require attention. Once those have been addressed, The Joint Commission awards certification. Each certification award is good for three years. Toward the end of the three year certification period, The Joint Commission comes back to start the evaluation process again in order to recertify the provider.

Considerations

• Health care for yourself or a loved one is often a personal decision. Certification or accreditation from The Joint Commission helps patients and their families make informed decisions on where to receive their health care when they have the choice, but ultimately does not guarantee results. Certification does not prevent health care providers from making mistakes, but does offer the patient the ability to report mistakes if they are made through The Joint Commission website.