http://www.jointcommission.org/
The Joint Commission was founded in 1951 with the intent to improve health care for the public. Today, they are responsible for accrediting more than 20,000 health care organizations across the country. There are 32 members that make up the governing board. They consist of physicians, nurses, educators, quality experts and other professionals. There are many types of health care organizations that are accredited by The Joint Commission. Such settings include hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and home health care.
The Joint Commission began the Health Care accreditation program in 1986. There are certain steps organizations must follow to begin the process. Once the company has followed the states licensure guidelines and has begun servicing at least ten patients, they can then request and submit an application with a $1700 non-refundable deposit. A standards manual will be sent to the applying organization for review and preparation for an on-site visit. The process differs slightly when seeking Medicare Certification. CMS has a separate application that must be approved before an on-site visit can be scheduled. There is a list of services that are covered under the Home Care program. Some of the services include: hospice, home health agencies, companion care and certain types of pharmacy. The cost of home care accrediting varies by number of patients receiving services, locations and number of services provided. Accreditation is valid for three years at a time. The Joint Commission wants to see organizations succeed so they offer many complimentary services that can help professionals stay updated on enhancements to survey processes and other requirements. The on-site survey process is usually a two day visit with one surveyor. That surveyor will track the patients experience to see how they are moved along the departments. They will observe and conduct interviews of staff members. They will review...