The Joint Commission

The mission of The Joint Commission is to improve the quality of health care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission develops standards of quality in collaboration with health care professionals and others. It stimulates health care organizations to meet or exceed the standards through accreditation and the teaching of quality improvement concepts.

1. The Joint Commission is an independent, nonprofit organization.
2. An organization voluntarily undergoes a survey by a full team of Joint Commission experts every three years. After being surveyed, the organization receives one of the following accreditation decisions:
   • Accreditation with Commendation
   • Accreditation
   • Accreditation with Recommendations for Improvement
   • Provisional Accreditation (temporary status for newly established organizations)
   • Conditional Accreditation
   • Not Accredited
3. Joint Commission accreditation with commendation is a significant achievement. To receive this status:
   • an organization must receive a summary grid score of 90 or greater; all eligible components of the organization must be surveyed; no individual program grid may receive scores of 4 or 5; and no type I recommendations (which indicate unsatisfactory standards compliance in a specific performance area) can be received.
4. The Joint Commission is governed by a 28-member board of commissioners that includes six public members and an at-large representative. Other board members are chosen by the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the American Dental Association, the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association.
5. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 5,200 hospitals and more than 9,000 other health care organizations. Joint Commission accreditation is available for:
   • general, psychiatric, children's and rehabilitation hospitals
   • health care networks
   • ambulatory care facilities
   • home care organizations
   • long-term facilities
   • mental health care organizations
   • clinical laboratories
6. More than 600 physicians, nurses, health care administrators and other experienced professionals are employed by the Joint Commission to perform accreditation surveys. In addition, more than 500 individuals work in the central office scheduling surveys, analyzing survey reports, developing standards and performance measures, producing publications and educational programs, and serving the needs of accredited organizations and the public.
7. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals was founded in 1951. The name was changed to the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in 1987 to better reflect the increasing diversity of organizations being accredited.
8. For more information about accreditation standards and practices, the Joint Commission's communication department can be reached at (630) 916-5631 or visit their website http://www.jointcommission.org/