The Joint Commission's Certificate of Distinction for Chronic Kidney Disease recognizes organizations that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for CKD patients. The Joint Commission and the National Kidney Foundation have identified that the most successful CKD programs possess the following critical attributes:
- A standard method of delivering or facilitating coordinated care from diagnosis to management, based on the National Kidney Foundation’s KDOQI evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
- A secure and timely system for sharing information across settings and providers, which safeguards patient rights and privacy.
- A comprehensive Performance Improvement program which uses outcomes data to continually enhance existing treatment plans and clinical practices.
- Clinical practices which enable tailored treatment plans and interventions, and support a participant’s self-management activities.
Achievement of certification signifies that the services you provide have the critical elements to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes. It is the best signal to your community that the quality care you provide is effectively managed to meet the unique and specialized needs of CKD patients. In fact, demonstrating compliance with the Disease-Specific Care standards and performance measurement expectations may help obtain contracts from employers and purchasers concerned with controlling costs and improving productivity.