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The Challenges for The Challenges for
Accreditation in a Rapidly Accreditation in a Rapidly
Changing Health Care Changing Health Care
EnvironmentEnvironment
Quality and Safety Workshop
September 2008, Delhi, India
Paul Chang MBBS, MPH
Derick P. Pasternak MD, MBA
Managing Directors, JCI
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Presentation TopicsPresentation Topics
Short overview of Joint Commission
International (JCI)
Common characteristics of accreditation
programs
Current challenges
How programs must change to meet
those challenges
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Mission of Joint Commission Mission of Joint Commission
InternationalInternational
To improve the safety and quality of
care in the international community through
the provision of education, publications,
consultation, evaluation, and accreditation
services
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Organizational BaseOrganizational Base
Joint Commission International (JCI) is the
international arm of The Joint Commission (TJC).
TJC and JCI are independent non-profit, non-
governmental agencies
Accredit over 17,000 organizations Worldwide
•143 of those are acute care hospitals in 28 countries
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International Accreditation International Accreditation
ProgramsPrograms
Hospitals (1999) – 3
rd
Edition (2007)
Laboratories (2002) *
Medical Transport (2002)
Care Continuum (2003)
Ambulatory Care (2005) *
Disease Condition-Specific Certification (2005) *
Primary Care (July 2008)
* To be revised in 2008* To be revised in 2008
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Usually a voluntary process by which a
government or non-government agency grants
recognition to health care institutions which meet
certain standards that require continuous
improvement in structures, processes, and
outcomes.
Accreditation is often confused with:
•Licensure-governmental activity that sets minimum
standards to protect the public
•Certification that evaluates special capability or unique
skills/ability
Accreditation – A DefinitionAccreditation – A Definition
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What is Accreditation What is Accreditation
Intended to Accomplish?Intended to Accomplish?
Awareness of quality of care issues
Stimulate continuous improvement in patient care
Increase efficiency/reduce costs
Strengthen the public’s confidence
Improve the management of health services
Create a learning organization
Enhance staff recruitment and retention
Improve or expand sources of payment
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Drivers for Accreditation in Health Drivers for Accreditation in Health
Escalating health costs
Patient safety & iatrogenic disease
Unexplained variation in clinical practice
•Inequality
•Access to health care
Health outcomes
Workforce shortfall
Desire to improve care
Constant change in clinical practice
New technology
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The Changing Health Care The Changing Health Care
EnvironmentEnvironment
Aging populations with multiple chronic
diseases
Urbanization of population with intense
pressure on urban health care systems-over
50% of worlds population live in urban areas
Movement of patients and health care
practitioners across borders
Globalization of service and manufacturing
sectors
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Globalization’s ImpactGlobalization’s Impact
Multinational companies need to know where
employees can receive quality health care
International insurance companies need to
know where they should pay for services with
good outcomes
Medical travelers need to know the best
health care destinations
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What Questions AriseWhat Questions Arise
Has the health care organization been
evaluated by an external body?
•Licensure, accreditation, certification
Does the organization meet
international norms - e.g., patient rights,
research, ethics?
Is clinical care guided by the best
science – e.g., practice guidelines
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What Questions AriseWhat Questions Arise
Are the clinical staff qualified and
competent and the credentials verified?
Is the health care organization low risk
and patient safe?
Is the organization efficient and well
managed?
How does the quality compare with
other organizations in other countries?
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Standards of PerformanceStandards of Performance
InfrastructureInfrastructure
DesignDesign
Field OperationsField Operations
Accreditation Accreditation
Decision ProcessDecision Process
Accreditation Accreditation
Performance DatabasePerformance DatabaseSources of FundingSources of Funding
Health Care AccreditationHealth Care Accreditation
System Key ElementsSystem Key Elements
Accreditation SystemAccreditation System
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Do Traditional Accreditation Do Traditional Accreditation
Programs Address these Questions?Programs Address these Questions?
Most national accreditation programs address the
laws, regulations, clinical and professional norms of
the particular country.
International accreditation programs, that use one set
of standards, can address these questions and
provide comparative results.
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What Do You Find in JCI What Do You Find in JCI
Accredited Organizations? Accredited Organizations?
A culture of quality and patient safety
An integrated management structure
Qualified staff
Lower risks and data on the risks
Quantifiable outcomes of care
Medical staff use latest science
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How Must Accreditation How Must Accreditation
Programs Change Programs Change
Accreditation must change to meet the
needs of new stakeholders in a global
society.
•On-site evaluation to ensure standards are
met – not just self-evaluation
•Evaluation must look at systems and how
patients move through the systems -
tracers
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How Must Accreditation How Must Accreditation
Programs ChangePrograms Change
•Evaluation must be frequent and ongoing
not every few years
•The findings of the evaluation should be
made public
•On-site evaluations should be made
without advance notice
•Adverse/sentinel events are reported and
root causes discovered for the organization
to learn
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How Must Accreditation How Must Accreditation
Programs ChangePrograms Change
Objective and comparable quality data on
clinical outcomes is available to public and
stakeholders
Patients and their families are partners in
the clinical care process
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ConclusionsConclusions
Traditional national accreditation programs
are not positioned to provide comparative
information to those new stakeholders with
global needs for quality information.
International accreditation programs can
provide the needed information but need to
be structured in a way that ensures
international transparency and accountability.
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ConclusionsConclusions
The methodology of accreditation is
flexible enough to be customized to
meet particular stakeholder needs
•e.g., Patient safety and risk assessments,
leadership assessments, infection or
medication risk assessments