Accreditations and Certifications in Nursing

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While working seemingly endless days, many nurses do not realize the many influences that affect their professional practice or how client care is delivered. Besides their employer, health care organizations are highly regulated by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. In addition to the rules set by governments, most medical establishments want to be accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC), a non-government regulatory agency. TJC does not have the authority to cite or fine a facility for not meeting standards or responding to its custodian alerts (The Joint Commission, 2011). However, these standards carry considerable weight through the loss of millions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization, established more than 60 years ago. TJC is governed by a board that includes physicians, nurses, and consumers. TJC sets the standards by which health care quality is measured in America and around the world. TJC evaluates the quality and safety of care for more than 19,000 health care organizations (The Joint Commission, 2011). To maintain and earn accreditation, establishments must have an extensive on-site review by a team of Joint Commission health care professionals, at least once every three years. The purpose of the review is to evaluate their performance in areas that affect clients’ care (The Joint Commission, 2011). Accreditation may then be awarded based on how well the organizations met TJC standard;, however, a site review is not a guarantee of accreditation.

To gain accreditation, TJC sets rigorous safety and quality of care standards and evaluates organizations to see whether or not they meet their standards. After the survey, TJC provid...

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... strategic business tool that helps hospitals live up to and surpass these expectations. The above-mentioned agencies help hospitals be all that they can be.

Works Cited

American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2011). American Nurses Credentialing Center. Retrieved July 19, 2011, from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Magnet/Magnet-CertificationForms.aspx

Fenner, K. (2011, April 18). Accreditation: A hospital CEO’s strategic choice. Hospital Accreditation and Compliance Journal. Retrieved from http://www.compass-clinical.com/hospital-accreditation/2011/04/accreditation-a-hospital-ceos-strategic-choice/

Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program. (n.d.). Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program. Retrieved July 17, 2011, from http://www.hfap.org

The Joint Commission. (2011). The Joint Commission. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from http://www.jointcommission.org/

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