Custom «Healthcare Accreditation » Essay Paper Sample

Definition

Healthcare accreditation is a practice put in place to ensure that the necessary medical practitioners and places are at par in relation to competency, standings, ethics and standards. After healthcare facility successfully goes through the accreditation process, a certificate is awarded. The certificate is an indication that the concerned medical facility has met the required and appropriate standards.  The introduction of accreditation process in medical institutions has in a great way facilitated the improvement of service delivery.

Importance of Accreditation

The need for quality health care across the globe necessitated the introduction of healthcare accreditation process. Accreditation is significant in ensuring that the quality of medical care provided by individuals as well as institutions is of high standards. This is because through accreditation process, practitioners and facilities that don't meet the required specifications are not certified. That is, accreditation helps heath institutions to identify areas that should be improved and the required skills for every practitioner. Further, accreditation process has facilitated the development of trust between patients and medical care practitioners. Consequently, the number of people visiting the available medical facilities has significantly increased (Kongstved, 2007).  

Bodies that Accredit Managed HealthCare institutions in America

The Joint Commission which was formerly known as the Joint Commissions for   Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) carries out accreditation services for subscriber hospitals and various other health care facilities. The Joint commissions popularly referred to as TJC accredits approximately 17,000 medical care facilities and organizations in US annually.  Because of its long existence and quality service delivery, many state governments license medical facilities only after accreditation by JCT. The Joint commission is a private non-profit making institution (Sult, & Young, 2010).

Other bodies that accredit healthcare institutions include The Community Healthcare Accreditation Program (CHAP). This body specializes on provision of accreditation services for heath organizations at a community level. Small health institutions are accredited by the Accreditation commission on Healthcare, Inc (ACHC) while durable medical equipment is accredited the Compliance Team, Inc (TCT).  HQAA (Health Care Quality Association for Accreditation) also works with the US durable working equipment. National Committee on Quality Assurance is renowned for its contribution in improving the quality of medical care systems through availing important data to medical institutions under the Health Care Effectiveness and the Information Set (HEDIS).

Accreditation Process

The process involves both self and peer assessment of various aspects of a healthcare facility together with the practitioners. During the accreditation process a body separate from the institution in question examines the all the employees to determine their health status, knowledge and skills in relations to their responsibilities. Further, the available facilities available at the institutions are observed to ascertain level of available technology and other materials required in relation to the services offered. Based on the nationally required standards, reports are availed to the healthcare facility indicating whether all the required standards are met.  To ensure that the required standards are maintained, the process is carried out in cycles of about three month interval (Kongstved, 2007).

US Active Duty Military healthcare Plan

Facilities under this plan are sufficient and are of required standards. The facility also ensures that only highly qualified practitioners are employed. In recent years, facilities that did not require the required standards were closed down. However the number of patients seeking medical cares from the institution has always remained high. TJC is the body charged with the responsibility of accrediting this health care plan.