What is the Joint Commission International (JCI)?

The Joint Commission International (JCI) is a non-profit, U.S-based, international accreditation organization that certifies healthcare companies, services, and programs. JCI standards are internationally recognized as a leading healthcare accreditation program for patient safety and quality of care.

In addition to providing best practices in patient safety and quality, JCI also offers innovative solutions to improve performance and outcomes in all forms of healthcare organizations.

The types of healthcare programs accredited by the Joint Commission International include:

• Hospital accreditations
• Clinical lab accreditations
• Academic medical center hospitals (such as medical facilities integrated with medical schools and academic and/or commercial clinical trial sites)
• Ambulatory care facilities (including dialysis facilities and acute care centers)
• Home care facilities (which include staff qualifications and education and environment safety)
• Long term care facilities (such as assisted living and chronic care facilities)
• Medical transport organizations (including emergency and non-emergency transport services)
• Primary care centers (such as community integration, disease prevention, and health promotion centers)

JCI itself is accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (IEEA). This accreditation provides assurance that the standards, processes, and training used by JCI are in line with the highest international standards for accreditation bodies.

JCI aims to maintain and improve safety and health care quality throughout the world by providing education, international accreditation (including International Patient Safety Goals-IPSGs), advisory services, and certifications.

Since its founding by the Joint Commission in 1994, JCI has accredited more than 1,000 health organizations with its “Gold Seal of Approval”, a globally recognized symbol of quality patient care and safety.

This article presents an overview of the JCI accreditation process and its benefits to the accredited organization and patients.

Please note that the information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only. We do not offer certification or accreditation services. If you are interested in obtaining certification or accreditation, we recommend contacting the relevant program directly.

What is the Gold Seal of Approval?

The Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation is recognized as the gold standard for patient care and safety in the international healthcare community. Any organization meeting its accreditation standard is awarded a Gold Seal of Approval®—a distinguished symbol of accomplishing all standards.

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Figure: An image of Gold Seal of Approval® provided by JCI to healthcare organizations for meeting all accreditation standards.

The seal offers multiple benefits to the organization:

• It displays the capability and commitment of healthcare providers in delivering the best of their services in compliance with the standards.  
• It builds trust in patients for the healthcare standard of the organization, including their medical services, patient safety, and care.
• In addition to enhancing the health care organization’s reputation among its patients, it helps them stand out in the marketplace from their competition.
• Accredited organizations receive respect from other businesses, service providers,  insurance companies, and government ministries.

JCI Clinical Care Program Certification & Benefits of Accreditation to Patients

JCI’s Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) further demonstrates an organization’s commitment to providing patients with quality clinical care in a specific area of expertise, whether it be a disease or medical services.

Currently, JCI offers the CCPC in a variety of clinical areas including, but not limited to:

• Acute Myocardial Infarction (heart-related diseases)
• Cancer (all types)
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Diabetes Mellitus (types 1 and 2)
• HIV/AIDS Management
• Outpatient Diabetes
• Transplantation (all types)
• Traumatic Brain Injury, and many more.

JCI accreditation provides several benefits to both organizations and patients in multiple ways, some of which are:

• A patient can be confident about a CCPC-certified service and trust that it has met all the standards. Patients can trust that the organization strictly adheres to delivering quality patient care, patient safety, and complete patient support.
• The certification facilitates continuous quality improvement in the delivery of better, more consistent, and safer healthcare.
• The certification allows organizations to evaluate, measure, and improve the quality of their services.
• The certification enables organizations to recruit the most skilled clinical staff and help meet public health demands.
• Accreditation provides credibility and validation to the organizations in the eyes of the outside world.
• The implementation of standards helps organizations improve, structure, and standardize a wide range of clinical processes, including admission, patient care planning, assessment, and management of facilities.

JCI Advisory Services to Achieve Accreditation

JCI advisory services help organizations streamline and simplify the accreditation process, including achieving international patient safety goals, infection control protocols, and medication and emergency management.

Their experienced consultants will assist you during the entire accreditation process by helping you identify, plan, and implement all the necessary steps required to achieve the accreditation.

Here are a few areas in which the JCI’s advisory services can benefit you:

• Accreditation Preparation: With JCI, you gain access to a team of experts who analyze your organization’s needs and design customized services based on your schedule, staffing, goals, and other factors, which can help you speed up the accreditation process.
• Baseline Assessment: JCI consultants will assist in conducting an on-site baseline assessment when you are ready to proceed with accreditation. During their visit, they prepare a comprehensive report that identifies areas for improvement by comparing your current services and processes to JCI standards.
• Mock Survey: JCI offers a mock accreditation survey six months before the real one. Its consultant helps organization staff and leaders complete the simulated survey (based on the actual accreditation process), identifying any gaps in standard compliance.
• Focused Improvement Support: As a result of the mock survey, the experts provide complete support in struggling areas of compliance. They combine hands-on training, mini-lectures, workgroups, and focused tracers to create a customized agenda that identifies practical solutions to the highlighted problems.
• Tracer Methodology Education Program: This program enables healthcare providers to integrate a patient safety mindset throughout their organization by preparing the staff to ask the right questions, track patients and systems, and identify gaps in care.

To learn more about JCI accreditation processes, new standards, services, or FAQs, visit www.jointcommissioninternational.org.

Need High-Quality Lab Equipment?

JCI is a non-profit international accreditation organization that accredits healthcare organizations and programs globally. The standards help healthcare businesses perform better by ensuring they meet all quality standards, infection control protocols, and patient safety and care requirements.

JCI offers accreditation for eight types of healthcare programs that benefit both patients and organizations. It also offers a Gold Seal of Approval® to accredited companies for their specific services, which shows patients that they comply with the standards and are committed to the best care.

Accreditation is a multi-step process, which takes time. Excedr enables organizations to accelerate their accreditation process by providing cutting-edge equipment leases that help produce accurate and reliable results. Through our lease program, labs of all sizes, including biotech, medical, and clinical labs/companies, can gain access to high-throughput equipment without the high upfront costs typical of purchasing outright.

With Excedr’s leasing program, laboratories can access the latest equipment without impeding their budget. By leasing the equipment you need, you can save on upfront costs, speed up your research and development, and reach milestones faster. Contact us today to learn more.

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