Knowing that a treatment program has been accredited by the Joint Commission not only means that there is an organization backing them but there is also a group of people holding them accountable for continued improvement. This can be an important factor to think about when deciding on which treatment program you or a loved one wants to go to as it indicates their services, staff, and treatment programs are constantly under review. A company that is accredited is complying with national standards of safety, quality of care, and improved patient care.
How Does The Process Work?
In order to become accredited, a treatment program has to reach out to the Joint Commission and request online access to their standards and programs. Treatment programs will ensure on their own that their company is complying with those standards and then they will complete an application requesting this survey and picking a month that they wish for it to take place. If all goes well, the survey will be scheduled and representatives of the Joint Commission will travel to the facility to complete an on-site inspection. If they feel that the company meets its standards, accreditation will be promoted.
The Standards
Though there are over 1500 different standards, all of which apply to different areas of the medical field, the ones that are looked at with regards to behavioral health include:
- Accreditation Participation Requirements
- Care, Treatment, Services
- Environment of Care
- Emergency Management
- Human Resources Management
- Infection Prevention and Control
- Information Management
- Leadership
- Life Safety
- Medication Management
- National Patient Safety Goals
- Performance Improvement
- Record of Care Treatment and Services
- Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual
- Waived Testing
