JCAHO Requirements for a Nursing Home

The Joint Commission and Health Organization accredits long-term care facilities. JCAHO assesses nursing homes based on four criteria: patient care, communication, on-site visits and interviews, and documentation. Nursing homes are eligible for accreditation if they meet the state licensing requirements for the amount of patient beds, and must be accredited to accept Medicare or Medicaid.

Bed Requirements

• One of the following bed requirements must be met for a long-term care facility to be eligible for accreditation under JCAHO. The term "beds" is defined as the amount of available spaces for patients to occupy on-premise. JCAHO eligibility requires that these beds must be designated as licensed by the state to accept clients in the capacity known as a nursing home or long-term care facility, or the beds must be Medicare- or Medicaid-certified as skilled nursing beds or long-term government beds for entities such as the Veterans Health Administration. This is in regard to eligibility for accreditation requirements only.

Organizational Requirements

• JCAHO organizational requirements mandate that the long-term health facility falls under the auspices of the United States geographically or by government control or charter. JCAHO also requires that the organization seeking accreditation identify, assess and improve its quality care services to keep those services up to JCAHO's standards.

First Accreditation Survey

• Long-term health care facilities undergoing the accrediting process for the first time are required to have cared for at least five patients and have two in their care during the time of the first accreditation survey.

Reassessment

• Facilities undergoing reassessment are required to comply with JCAHO standards for one year. The Joint Commission guidelines state the following samples sizes for reassessment: "For a population size of less than 30 cases, sample 100% of cases; For a population size up to 100 cases, sample 30 cases; For a population size of 101 to 500 cases, sample 50 cases; For a population size of over 500 cases, sample 70 cases." This means that depending on the amount of patients in the nursing facility, a certain number of cases must be sampled for patient documentation. Auditors will note compliance with state and national guidelines, with patient documentation critical for accreditation.