The joint commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations revises standards for 2004

Abstract

RECENTLY, THE JOINT Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) unveiled substantially revised accreditation standards for 2004.1 The standards, effective January 1, 2004, are for hospitals, home care organizations, ambulatory care clinics, behavioral health care organizations, laboratories, and long-term care organizations. The standards for assisted living, critical access hospitals, health care networks, and office-based surgery will be revised in 2005.2 The newly revised standards for 2004 are available on the JCAHO Web site (http:\\www.jcaho.org) and allow individuals and organizations to access the standards and become familiar with them prior to the publication of the official accreditation manual in the fall.1,2 A “crosswalk” is also available to help users compare the old standards with the new. The new standards are the result of nearly 2 years of work to substantially consolidate JCAHO requirements to decrease the paperwork and documentation burden of the accreditation process.1 Although the focus of the standards is on processes critical to achieving safe, quality care, the requirements for 2004 are essentially the same.2