Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper
Healthcare is a highly regulated industry that is kept in check by several regulatory and accrediting bodies. The services provided to patients must be safe and of high quality; thus, care providers must meet certain minimum standards to be accepted as service providers. Furthermore, to continue providing services to humanity, healthcare organizations must adhere to certain standards. This continuous check is provided by specialized bodies known as accreditation bodies, and the Joint Commission is an example of such an agency that has served for the longest time in the United States (Roberts et al., 2018)Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper. The history, mission, and reporting systems of the Joint Commission are discussed further below, with a further focus on the agency’s impact on nursing practice and patient care.
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History of the Joint Commission
The Joint Commission was established in 1951, but accreditation did not become official until 1965. The Hospital Standardization Program was merged with similar programs run by the American Hospital Association, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, and Canadian Medical Association to form the Joint Commission (Roberts et al., 2018)Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper. The original intent of the Joint Commission, which it has upheld to this day, was to certify or accredit healthcare organizations that provide human services. It has since grown to become the oldest and largest healthcare accreditation body in the United States and beyond.
Reason for Existence
The Joint Commission’s mission is to accredit organizations that provide healthcare to people. The agency guarantees member healthcare organizations a three-year accreditation cycle and laboratories a two-year cycle (Bohigas, 2018). The agency regulates the quality of healthcare services provided to patients through its accreditation process. This accreditation ensures that organizations are constantly striving for quality care and that the services they provide are safe. The organization publishes and updates its accreditation standards, procedures, and policies. As a result, it is the responsibility of accredited organizations to constantly seek new information to maintain compliance with the required standards.
Summary of the Agency Quality Reporting of Quality Indicators
Frequency
In the structure, process, and outcomes of care, quality indicators detect sub-optimal care. Quality indicators are tools used to track the process of quality improvement in healthcare. The Joint Commission offers member health organizations a 36-month accreditation period and laboratories for 18 months (Bohigas, 2018)Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper. As a result, the Joint Commission reports its quality indicators after the specified period.
Where Reported
The Joint Commission maintains an online platform where it provides information on quality indicators. All Joint Commission accredited members’ safety and quality of care information is available. The information is available on Qualitycheck.org or the Joint Commission website.
Why Performance Metrics are Important
Performance evaluation is an essential component of the accreditation process. The metrics aid in tracking the progress of accredited organizations and determining whether certified affiliations are operating by the standards. The Joint Commission employs ORYX as a performance measurement initiative, determining whether the outcomes are in line with the accreditation agency’s expectations Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper.
How It Operates
As aforementioned, the agency is a non-profit organization that accredits healthcare organizations interested in providing services to humans. The length of the accreditation depends on the type of organization; laboratories, for example, have a two-year cycle. To achieve its goals, the Joint Commission collaborates with several other organizations.
Current Function
The Joint Commission’s current function is to improve public healthcare by evaluating and inspiring healthcare organizations to excel in service delivery. The agency has benefited over 22000 member organizations in the United States and abroad (Bohigas, 2018)Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper. It has risen to become a reputable healthcare accreditation agency by basing its principles on respect, honesty, fairness, and integrity.
Organizational Structure and Governance
A 21-member board of commissioners governs the Joint Commission. Physicians, nurses, administrators, quality experts, employers, educators, and consumer advocates are among the commissioners (Wadhwa & Huynh, 2021). As a result, the organization takes pride in its diversity in governance, recognizing various professions.
Impact of the Joint Commission on Quality at Various Levels of healthcare
Healthcare Organizations
The Joint Commission evaluations and surveys are difficult to prepare. This necessitates the formation of a well-organized team that collaborates to achieve the highest standards for their organization. As a result, hospitals benefit from increased coordination of care delivery, the use of an interdisciplinary approach, and improved communication (Wadhwa & Huynh, 2021)Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper. Finally, the hospital organizations’ reputation is preserved, and revenues increase as a result of increased customer referrals.
Nursing Practice
Improved activity coordination and communication among nurses improve care delivery and, as a result, nursing practice. The transfer of information from accreditation bodies to member organizations and their employees aids in the improvement of care (Wadhwa & Huynh, 2021)Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper. The fact that care providers update their knowledge and skills regularly is an important tool in care delivery.
Patient Care
The main goal of accreditation bodies is to ensure that certified members operate within the standards and provide the highest quality and safe care possible. Patients benefit directly as a result of the care team’s increased care coordination, inter-professional care delivery, and improved communication (Wadhwa & Huynh, 2021)Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper. Following the accreditation process, patient care outcomes and satisfaction with care improve.
Conclusion
Healthcare accreditation is a continuous process that care organizations must go through to provide the best quality and safest care possible. The Joint Commission is one of the oldest and most reputable accreditation bodies in the United States, with a long history of success. The agency offers member health organizations and laboratories a three-year and two-year accreditation cycle, respectively. Various benefits accrue to hospital organizations, care providers, and patients during the accreditation period. Patient improved outcomes are the most important because the primary goal of health organizations is to maintain and improve the quality of life.
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References
Bohigas, L. (2018). Accreditation across borders: the introduction of Joint Commission accreditation in Spain. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement, 24(5), 226–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1070-3241(16)30376-5
Roberts, J. S., Coale, J. G., & Redman, R. R. (2018). A history of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 258(7), 936–940. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1987.03400070074038
Wadhwa, R., & Huynh, A. P. (2021). The Joint Commission. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557846/ Healthcare Regulatory And Accreditation Bodies Paper
