Assignment Five is a review of one of the many accreditation organizations in healthcare. The Joint Commission accredits hospitals and other healthcare organizations. Organizations also are regulated by state and Federal standards and laws. States license hospitals and often inspect the hospitals based on state regulations on an annual basis and handle complaints sent into the state. All accreditation organizations set standards for achievement to attain or measure quality, safety and efficiency in the organization. Professional organizations like the ACR American College of Radiology also provide accreditation or centers of excellence in mammography and other radiology fields.

The Joint Commission also plays an important role with hospitals related to their financing. Both Medicare and often state Medicaid use accreditation by The Joint Commission to allow payment for services. In other words, if you are not accredited as an organization, you will not be able to receive payment or be approved to provide services for Medicare and sometimes Medicaid patients.

Keeping your accreditation in good order is important to maintain high quality but also to be part of these important programs.

ASSIGNMENT:

Please use www.jointcommission.org

Please explore the website and answer the questions below in Canvas.

1) Who is eligible to seek accreditation? What are the steps to achieve accreditation?

2) The Joint Commission has many standards and these are included in a manual that healthcare organizations purchase. The website shares National Patient Safety Goals. Select a chapter (ie 2021 Behavioral Health Patient Safety Goals) and read through the chapter. Please share your learning and thoughts on the goals in two paragraphs, each at least six sentences in length.

3) Under Facts about the Joint Commission, please read the organizations they accredit and list three types.

4) Under About Us, Go to Quality Check and select a hospital and review their results.

Please state what hospital you reviewed and three findings the report shared.

As a consumer of healthcare, is this information valuable to you? Why or Why Not?

• Download free hospital performance measure results by clicking on the Quality Data Download tab.