JCI accredits 500th health care organization

3-May-2013

With accreditation of its 500th health care organization, Joint Commission International has solidified its claim as a preeminent global accreditor of health care quality and patient safety.

Through its accreditation and certification activities, JCI monitors and supports organizations in 53 countries speaking 28 languages.

"We are a community of the world's best health care organizations committed to delivering the best care possible," says Paula Wilson, president and CEO, Joint Commission International.

Since 2008, JCI has experienced an average of 20 percent annual growth in the number of health care organizations it accredits. JCI leadership sees this steady increase as evidence of an accelerating movement toward a worldwide standard of excellence in the delivery of health care services.

A voluntary process, JCI offers accreditation programs for hospitals, clinical laboratories, long term care, home care, medical transport, ambulatory care, primary care, and academic medical centers, and certification for 15 disease- or condition-specific clinical care programs.

Since its beginning in 1994, JCI accreditation has been accepted as a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization's commitment to doing the right things in the right way. JCI's thorough accreditation process focuses on determining whether a health care organization has the right systems and processes in place to support high quality and safe patient care. Accreditation and advisory services are supported by regional offices in Dubai and Singapore.

"Although local needs vary and diverse cultures present unique challenges, JCI stands alone as a beacon for patient safety and quality improvement in the global community," says Paul vanOstenberg, D.D.S., vice president, International Accreditation, Standards and Measurement, Joint Commission International.

JCI is accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), a designation that provides assurance that the standards, surveyor training, and accreditation processes used by JCI meet the highest international principles for accrediting bodies