Joint Commission for Accreditation

Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. (2001). Using JCAHO standards as a starting point to prepare for an emergency. Joint Commission Resources. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from http //www.jcrinc.com/... 

The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals Organization (JCAHO) has recommended that these abbreviations not be used to decrease the chance of errors. However, some hospitals and providers continue to use them when writing medications orders. 

Sometimes, local standards may originate from requirements of a higher level of regulation. For example, the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) (formerly the Joint Commission for Hospital Accreditation (JCAH), a voluntary organization (but an organization... 

In the United States, hospitals are generally regulated by a local city or county authority, and/or by the state. These authorities set standards in the form of health codes or regulations, which have the force of law. Often, these local bodies consider the requirements of a voluntary group, the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, in their accreditation and regulatory processes. 

Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare organizations (JCAHO) 1 Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook, IL 60181. 

ADAPTED FROM SPEAKING UP. LEAFLET ISSUED BY JOINT COMMISSION FOR ACCREDITATION OF HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS)... 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has incorporated pneumococcal and influenza immunization rates into some of their quality standards. Patients admitted to a hospital for community-acquired pneumonia should be screened for, offered, and vaccinated with pneumococcal and influenza vaccines prior to discharge if not previously administered. In physicians office practice, all persons over 65 years of age who have been hospitalized in the past year should be screened for, offered, and vaccinated with pneumococcal and influenza vaccines if not previously administered. Both of these standards will affect payment if the standard is not met. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has also incorporated these standards into their accreditation reviews of health care facilities. 

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations standards require a nutrition screening typically within 24 to 72 hours of hospital admission. Patients determined not to be at risk for malnutrition should be reevaluated every 7 to 14 days. Patients determined to be at risk for malnutrition need a nutrition assessment and care plan. 

When we managed to secure Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH) approval of our Substance Abuse Program for two years (in contrast to only one year for the rest of the Brentwood VA Hospital) my boss. Dr. Milton Greenblatt, was both amused by the irony and impressed, making all the weeks of work worthwhile. 

Coe CP. 1998c. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. In Preparing the Pharmacy for a Joint Commission Survey, p. 1. Bethesda, MD ASHP. 

NFPA 99137 governs all health care occupancies, in conjunction with the Life Safety Code and the National Electrical Code. In fact virtually all hospitals, and the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), which regulates hospitals, use the combination mentioned earlier almost without any other consideration. 

With Medicare s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, also known as Medicare Part A, workers make required contributions to the fund while fhey are employed. Upon retirement, workers receive health care benefits. By law, employers and their employees are required to pay equal portions of a payroll tax, which totals 2.9% of earned income.In 1997, almost 90% of the trust fund s income was from payroll taxes. The remaining income was generated from fhe inferesf earned from the trust fund. A beneficiary s Medicare Parf A insurance is limifed to only those hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). The JCAHO accreditation standards include explicit and extensive professional pharmacy acfivifies, indirectly supporting professional trends for clinical pracfice (see Chapfer 18). 

Emergency Management Standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO). (2001). Comprehensive accreditation manual for hospitals. 

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations also defines a third level of crisis—a catastrophe. A catastrophe is considered a disaster in which the community and hospital are overwhelmed and isolated for 3 or more days. This is exemplified by the Sumatra tsunami in 2004 and by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 (Berger, 2006). For our purposes, this category will be considered a disaster. 

Nursing Emergency Preparedness Education Coalition (NEPEC), formerly the International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Incidents http //WWW. me. Vanderbilt, eda/nursing/coalitions/ INCMCE/overview, html Internet Disaster Information Network http //WWW. disaster, net/index. html Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations... 

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. (2001a). Revised environment of care standards for the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals. Joint Commission Perspectives, 21(12), suppl 2. 

In addition to specialty nursing accreditation bodies, the Joint Commission, formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), mandates specific areas in which health care institutions must ensure that employees are prepared. As part of the national emergency preparedness plan, JCAHO (2001) has mandated that all health care institutions be required to design and implement an emergency preparedness plan. In addition, each institution must establish an orientation and education program for staff and must conduct emergency preparedness drills at least twice a year. 

Certainly, the technical expertise to develop crude devices, including improvised nuclear devices, exists worldwide (4). Whereas terrorist attacks with SRDs and RDDs would cause a limited number of casualties, attacks with improvised or sophisticated nuclear weapons, if used in a populated area, have the potential for mass casualties and disruption. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has already directed hospitals to plan and prepare for a terrorist attack involving nuclear weapons, specifically asking them to (2) ... 

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