Health Care Industry/Vendor Representatives
Current | April 15, 2009
Q. Does The Joint Commission have requirements related to credentialing health care industry/vendor representatives who are involved in care, treatment, and services provided by professional staff in accredited health care organizations?
A. The Joint Commission does not have any standards that specifically address health care industry/vendor representatives who are involved in care, treatment, and services provided by professional staff in accredited health care organizations. This is due to the fact that at this time there are no accepted national standards on competence for the tasks performed by these health care industry/vendor representatives. Currently, there is also no specific licensure, certification, or registration for health care industry/vendor representatives who are involved in care, treatment, and services provided by professional staff in accredited health care organizations.
There are several Joint Commission standards that are relevant to any individual that enters a health care organization who directly impacts the quality and safety of patient care. In order to protect patient safety, accredited health care organizations need to be aware of who is entering their organization and what these individuals are doing in their organization (EC.02.01.01). Accredited health care organizations need to take steps to ensure patient rights are respected (RI.01.01.01), and that infection control precautions (IC.02.01.01) and other organization-specific policies and procedures are followed.
Additionally, The Joint Commission has several standards related to anyone who can impact the quality and safety of patient care; many of which are located in the Leadership chapter. Some of the requirements located in the Leadership chapter are LD.03.06.01 EP4 (competence of anyone who works in the organization), LD.04.01.05 EPs 1 and 3 (leaders oversee operations, and administrative and clinical direction responsibilities are defined), and LD.04.04.05 EPs 1, 3, and 4 (the development and implementation of a patient safety program).
Although The Joint Commission does not have any specific credentialing requirements for health care industry/vendor representatives who are involved in care, treatment, and services provided by professional staff, please note that some professional organizations are recommending general credentialing requirements for these individuals. For more information, you may want to contact AdvaMed whose website is www.advamed.org.