IMTJadmin - 07/03/2008 12:21
For more than 75 years the Joint Commission and its predecessor organisation have been dedicated to improving the quality and safety of healthcare services. The international organisation was formed in 1999, “based on international consensus standards” in order to “set uniform, achievable expectations for structures, processes and outcomes for hospitals. The accreditation process is designed to accommodate specific legal, religious and cultural factors within a country”.
JCI currently offers six accreditation programmes: for ambulatory care, clinical laboratories, hospitals, medical-transport organisations and care continuum. JCI’s latest product is its disease- or condition-specific care certification, launched in 2006, “a comprehensive evaluation of disease- or condition-specific services” as opposed to accreditation that looks at the overall quality and safety of an entire organisation. Healthcare programmes currently included are: primary stroke, maternal and well-child care, chronic kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, oncology care, cardiac disease and diabetes care. Visit www.jointcommissioninternational.com.
