Joint Commission
The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years and today it accredits approximately 4,023 general, pediatric, long term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and specialty hospitals, and 366 critical access hospitals, through a separate accreditation program. Approximately 77 % of the nation’s hospitals and 88% of the United States hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission. Achieving accreditation makes a strong statement to the community about an organization’s efforts to provide the highest quality services. Patient safety and quality of care issues are at the forefront of Joint Commission standards and initiatives. The Joint Commission standards focus on state-of-the-art performance improvement strategies that help health care organizations continuously improve the safety and quality of care, which can reduce the risk of error or low quality care. Each accredited facility is required to have an On-Site Survey conducted by The Joint Commission in order to maintain their accreditation. Laws require certain health care providers to acquire and maintain accreditation for their organization.