JCAHO Posts Revised Standards

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.

After two years of review, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ Standards Review Project has published revised standards that attempt to consolidate JCAHO’s requirements and reduce the paperwork burden of accreditation.

Part of JCAHO’s “Shared Visions — New Pathways” initiative, the revised standards remove redundant requirements; clarify rules — particularly those dealing with safety and quality of care; reduce requirements that may lead to unnecessary paperwork; and identify common standards across JCAHO’s accreditation manuals, to create consistent language, JCAHO said.

In other JCAHO news, the organization last month announced a privacy certification program for so-called “business associates,” as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. JCAHO created the program in cooperation with the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

More information about the new accreditation program, and about JCAHO’s revised standards, is available at www.jcaho.org.

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