OAKBROOK, IL--(Marketwire - November 16, 2009) - Joint Commission International (JCI) is
marking the tenth anniversary of the first health care organization to be
awarded accreditation under its globally developed international standards
for hospitals.
Established to respond to a growing demand around the world for
standards-based evaluation of quality in health care, today JCI accredits
or certifies more than 300 health care organizations and clinical care
programs in 39 countries. JCI offers accreditation programs for hospitals,
clinical laboratories, continuum of care (non-acute care settings such as
home care), medical transport, ambulatory care, and primary care. JCI also
offers a certification program for disease- or condition-specific clinical
care programs. JCI's accreditation standards are the first and only
international sets of standards that apply to health care organizations
worldwide while still accommodating cultural differences.
In December 1999, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, a private,
non-profit, non-governmental facility in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was the first
hospital accredited by JCI under the international standards. The hospital
has also since achieved JCI Disease- or Condition-Specific Care
Certification for its stroke program.
JCI's thorough accreditation process focuses on determining whether a
health care facility has the right systems and processes in place to
support high quality and safe patient care and has the culture and capacity
to continuously improve patient care. JCI's expert surveyors examine
crucial issues such as the safe use of medications, infection prevention
and control, and patient assessment and patient rights. This rigorous
process requires hospitals and other health care organizations to
demonstrate a track record of standards compliance and relies on candid
interviews with patients, families and staff about care practices. JCI's
accreditation process addresses health care organization management and
incorporates standards related to quality improvement and patient safety,
governance, leadership and direction, facility management and safety, staff
qualifications and education, and management of information. The on-site
accreditation process focuses on each organization's range of specialties
and services.
"Quality and safety challenges know no borders, and health care
organizations around the world want to create environments that focus on
quality, safety and continuous improvement," says Karen H. Timmons,
president and CEO, JCI. "Accreditation meets this demand by stimulating
continuous, systematic improvements in a hospital's performance and the
outcomes of patient care. Health care organizations that have achieved JCI
accreditation have made a public commitment to quality and patient safety."
"Health care is a basic human right," says Claudio Luiz Lottenberg, M.D.,
CEO and President of the Board of Trustees, Hospital Israelita Albert
Einstein. "And JCI is the barometer for quality and safety as we meet
patient needs."
JCI is the international arm of The Joint Commission. For more than 50
years, The Joint Commission has worked to improve the quality and safety of
health care services. Today, as the largest accreditor of health care
organizations in the United States, The Joint Commission accredits and
certifies more than 17,000 health care organizations through a voluntary
process and is recognized as a leader in all aspects of safe, high quality
care.
JCI, which is accredited by The International Society for Quality in Health
Care (ISQua), extends The Joint Commission mission worldwide. In addition
to accreditation, JCI has extended its efforts to promote safe, quality
care over the years through:
-- The International Essentials for Quality and Patient Safety -- for
hospitals starting the quality journey or facing the challenges of
providing high quality, safe patient care despite limited equipment or
financial and human resources. The Essentials help organizations begin the
process of designing and implementing a risk reduction program that will
lead to improved patient safety.
-- WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions -- The World
Health Organization (WHO) redesignated The Joint Commission and JCI as the
world's first WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions,
dedicated solely to patient safety. The Centre focuses worldwide attention
on patient safety and best practices that can reduce safety risks to
patients. The Collaborating Centre coordinates efforts to spread these
solutions as broadly as possible internationally through its work with
ministries of health, patient safety experts, national agencies on patient
safety, health care professional associations, and consumer organizations.
In 2007 the Collaborating Centre launched nine solutions that are
applicable to a wide variety of countries and health care settings; the
next solution is scheduled to be released this fall.
Joint Commission International (JCI) was established in 1997 as a division
of Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), a wholly controlled,
not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission. Through international
accreditation, consultation, publications and education programs, JCI
extends The Joint Commission's mission worldwide by helping to improve the
quality of patient care. JCI assists international health care
organizations, public health agencies, health ministries and others in more
than 60 countries.
To view this release in a media-rich format, go to:
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2009/jci_91016ten/index.html
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Ken Powers
Media Relations Manager
630-792-5175