Since its founding in 1951, The Joint Commission has been acknowledged as the leader in developing the highest standards for quality and safety in the delivery of health care, and evaluating organization performance based on these standards. Today, more than 15,000 health care providers use Joint Commission standards to guide how they administer care and continuously improve performance. The Joint Commission is also the only accrediting organization with the capability and experience to evaluate health care organizations across the continuum of care.
What’s the difference between accreditation and certification?
Accreditation can be earned by an entire health care organization, for example, hospitals, nursing homes, office-based surgery practices, home care providers, and laboratories.
Certification is earned by programs or services that may be based within or associated with a health care organization. For example, a Joint Commission accredited medical center can have Joint Commission certified programs or services for diabetes or heart disease care. These programs could be within the medical center or in the community.
Both accreditation and certification require an evaluation by The Joint Commission. The evaluation covers compliance with the standards and other requirements and verifies improvement activities. After earning accreditation or certification, health care organizations or programs receive The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, a mark of quality.
What are the accreditation programs?
The Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program was established in 1975, and today more than 1,600 freestanding ambulatory care organizations are Joint Commission-accredited. These organizations represent a variety of settings, including ambulatory surgery centers, group medical practices, plastic/cosmetic surgery facilities and others.
The Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program began in 1969 with the accreditation of organizations that provided services for persons with developmental disabilities. Today, the Joint Commission accredits more than 1,700 behavioral health care organizations that provide treatment for addictions, crisis stabilization, and group/residential homes, among others.
The Critical Access Hospital Accreditation Program was introduced in 2001 and approximately 358 critical access hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission. Critical access hospitals are small and rural hospitals that meet certain conditions of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The Home Care Accreditation Program was established in 1988 and accredits more than 3,500 organizations. Home care services are provided directly or through a contracted individual or organization. These services include personal care or support, home medical equipment, clinical respiratory services, hospice, pharmacy services, and freestanding ambulatory infusion services.
The Hospital Accreditation Program has been in existence in some form for more than 50 years. Today, it accredits approximately 4,250 general, children’s, long term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and surgical specialty hospitals. Approximately 91 percent of the nation's hospitals (including critical access hospitals) are currently accredited by The Joint Commission.
The Laboratory Services Accreditation Program began with the accreditation of hospital laboratory services in 1979. The Joint Commission has been accrediting freestanding laboratories since 1995. Today, the Joint Commission accredits nearly 2,000 organizations providing laboratory services.
The Long Term Care Accreditation Program was launched in 1966. Today, more than 1,100 organizations offering long term care services are accredited.
The Office-Based Surgery Accreditation Program was introduced in 2001 and today serves specifically as a quality oversight tool for surgical practices with four or fewer practitioners. Nearly 400 office-based surgery practices are accredited by The Joint Commission.
What are the certification programs?
The Disease-Specific Care Certification Program evaluates disease management and chronic care services that are provided by direct care providers such as hospitals and home care vendors, as well as health plans and disease management service companies. Examples of conditions or diseases covered include arthritis, asthma, cancer, kidney disease, depression, heart failure, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and sickle cell disease.
The Health Care Staffing Services Certification Program evaluates a staffing firm’s ability to provide qualified and competent staffing services for health care providers such as hospitals and nursing homes.
The Health Care Services Certification Program, which will launch in 2008, will evaluate specialty health care services that currently “fall between the cracks” of the current certification and accreditation program offerings of The Joint Commission. The types of health care services that the program will cover include: brain and spinal cord injury, cardiac care, geri-psychiatric, oncology, orthopedic, palliative care, physical rehabilitation, subacute care, ventilator care, women’s health care, and wound care.
The Transplant Center Certification Program will also launch in 2008 and will evaluate transplant centers and programs for heart, heart-lung, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, and pancreas transplants.
What are the benefits of accreditation or certification for me?
The benefits of receiving care at a Joint Commission accredited or certified organization include increased confidence in the care provided because you know the organization is:
- continually working to provide the highest quality services.
- periodically evaluated by The Joint Commission for compliance with the standards and other requirements.
- provided with expert advice and education from The Joint Commission about quality improvement.
- able to attract qualified staff because they have more opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge.