ENSURING HEALTH-CARE QUALITY - JCAHOS PERSPECTIVE

In recent years, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare O rganizations (JCAHO) has expanded its traditional role as a leading ev aluator of health care organizations to incorporate new attitudes and strategies in the areas of quality and performance improvement. This p aper outlines plans for modifying the current accreditation process, a nd includes a proposition that accredited organizations actively parti cipate in a quality measurement system and become involved in the proc ess of selecting appropriate measures. The paper presents current and proposed methods for measuring performance standards, compares major a ccreditation systems, and explores the public's expectations for healt h care quality and the JCAHO's role in quality improvement and cost co ntainment.