| Accreditation is very important for organizations | | | | JCAHO Accreditation Process |
| nowadays. Rewards and recognition are afforded to | | | | However, achieving JCAHO accreditation is not easy. |
| those able to reach accreditation requirements; apart | | | | Most hospital administrators panic at the thought of a |
| from the innate benefit of making effective working | | | | JCAHO evaluation especially these days that |
| systems in the organization making more clients | | | | evaluations are unannounced. It also affects the |
| satisfied and in turn, driving more profit for the | | | | medical and the rest of the staff because of the |
| company. | | | | details that they would have to take into consideration. |
| JCAHO Requirements and Benefits | | | | The accreditation process involves an on-site, |
| The most sought after accreditation for hospitals is the | | | | unannounced survey to be conducted by a survey |
| JCAHO or Joint Commission on Accreditation of | | | | team from the Joint Commission. It is done every after |
| Healthcare Organizations. JCAHO evaluations mainly | | | | 18 to 39 months of the previous conduct of survey. |
| check on the level of compliance of the hospitals on | | | | The survey evaluates the actual care processes of |
| the quality of care and safety they provide their | | | | the hospital from care, treatment and services |
| patients. It aims to increase the quality of care given to | | | | rendered to the patients. While doing so, the staff are |
| patients as well as ensure that patient rights are | | | | also informed and guided on how to initiate and |
| adhered to. | | | | establish hospital performance improvements. With all |
| All hospitals vie for this type of accreditation because it | | | | these processes, several documentation are |
| is one of the requirements of the Center for Medicare | | | | necessary to check on the compliance of the hospital. |
| and Medicaid Services (CMS) to achieve Medicaid | | | | Managing the Accreditation Process |
| Medicare certification and be authorized for | | | | Documentation of hospital processes and |
| reimbursement. And once a hospital is JCAHO | | | | improvements usually take a toll on the hospital staff. |
| accredited, it ensures its clients with the best care and | | | | Without the appropriate system of doing so, the staff |
| safety while the hospital who violates it receives | | | | will either end up exhausted or the other care and |
| citation for non - compliance. The noncompliance is to | | | | safety processes will be left undocumented. To avoid |
| be rectified within the specified period of rectification to | | | | such circumstance, hospitals should employ hospital |
| avoid revocation of the accreditation of the hospital. | | | | compliance software to streamline and manage |
| Hospitals are strictly evaluated on their adherence to | | | | patient care and operational performance. The good |
| the set standards of the commission for accreditation. | | | | thing is the availability of hospital accreditation software |
| The said standards are discussed in depth in The | | | | that manages not only JCAHO accreditation but as |
| Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals | | | | well as other accreditation agencies. |
| (CAMH). | | | | |