What is JCAHO?
JCAHO is an abbreviation for Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It is an organization made up of physicians, nurses, and consumers and individuals from the private medical sector to develop and maintain standards of quality in medical facilities in the United States. JCAHO and its policies have taken on a real importance in the medical field. It is a private, nonprofit organization who evaluates medical facility compliance based on a focused set of "requirements" that are long known as essential to the delivery of good patient care.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

What is JCI?
Joint Commission International (JCI) is the arm of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization), which accredits U.S. hospitals. In response to growing interest in accreditation and quality improvement worldwide, the Joint Commission launched its international accreditation program in 1999. Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation standards are based on international consensus standards and set uniform, achievable expectations for structures, processes and outcomes for hospitals.

The JCI accreditation process is a comprehensive, reliable, and objective review, while allowing for cultural adaptations and needs across different countries. The standards address important quality and safety issues such as patient involvement in health care decisions, infection control, staff qualifications, and preventing errors in treatment. Joint Commission International was selected as the agency to provide hospital accreditation for as the result of a competitive bidding process. The competitive bidding process emphasized the need for hospitals to continuously improve quality and patient safety by using state-of-the-art international standards and patient safety goals.

Why Hospitals abroad are acquiring JCI accreditation?
With the soaring popularity of medical tourism the JCI accreditation has become an established standard for maintaining the quality of hospitals’ health care standards, professionalism and quality of their doctors. In order to cater international patients these medical facilities show there commitment to maintain the quality of services by acquiring JCI accreditation. There are numerous hospitals which are JCI accredited in popular international destinations with the state of the art medical facility, western trained doctors and latest medical technology.

The health care organization interested in a JCI accreditation has to meet a set of standards requirements designed to improve quality of care. JCI accreditation standards are usually regarded as optimal. Accreditation provides a visible commitment by an organization to improve the quality of patient care, to ensure a safe environment and to continually work to reduce risks to patients and staff.

JCI makes sure accredited hospitals have state-of-the-art health care facilities, and technology along with advanced transportation and communication systems. JCI accredited hospitals’ health care standards; professionalism and quality of their doctors are equivalent if not superior to those you find in the United States of America.

Joint Commission International (JCI), the international arm of the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO), a U.S.-based accreditation agency that accredits 18,000 health care organizations in the United States. JCI uses the same standards and accreditation procedures as JCAHO, so accreditation by this agency guarantees that the quality of care at the accredited foreign hospital is comparable to the quality of care that you would expect from a domestic hospital.

JCI ensure the quality of hospitals in its network using the following programs.

International Standards for Hospitals
JCI’s standards for hospitals have proven their value in public and private organizations of all sizes in Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East.

International Standards for Clinical Laboratories
Complete, accurate, standards-based assessment of laboratory processes and management practices is enabling clinical laboratories around the globe to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness of laboratory procedures.

International Standards for the Care Continuum
Designed for application in both social service models and medical models of care, these standards support a variety of non-acute settings and the care and services they provide.

International Standards for Medical Transport Organizations
International standards for medical transport organizations are built around a solid framework of quality and safety designed to foster process improvements and support the development of effective leadership within these organizations.

International Ambulatory Care Standards
Joint Commission International (JCI) is pleased to announce its Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program. This program is designed to support organizations providing care in ambulatory settings to strengthen patient safety efforts, improve risk management and risk reduction, and strengthen community confidence by demonstrating a commitment to quality and patient-centered care.

The Joint Commission International Accreditation Standards for Ambulatory Care includes consensus-based, quality standards, organized around the manner in which care is provided in ambulatory settings, including:

• Access to care and continuity of care
• Patient and family rights and education
• Patient care, assessment, and safety
• Quality improvement, governance, and leadership
• Prevention and control of infections
• Facility management and staff qualifications
• Management of information

International Disease or Condition-Specific Care Standards
Joint Commission International (JCI) is pleased to announce its Disease- or Condition-Specific Care certification program. This program is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of disease- or condition-specific services and to support providers in improving the safety and quality of their services.

The new certification program is different and distinct from accreditation. Certification evaluates programs that are components of established organizations. While accreditation ensures an organization’s overall commitment to quality, certification demonstrates excellence in fostering better outcomes by the integration and coordination of care.

JCI’s Disease- or Condition-Specific Care certification program is based on an assessment of compliance with consensus-based standards and criteria, the effective use of clinical guidelines, and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities. Certification standards apply in a variety of health care settings, and address a wide range of programs, including:

• Primary Stroke Programs
• Maternal and Well Child Care Programs
• Chronic Kidney Disease Programs
• HIV/AIDS Programs
• Oncology Care Programs
• Cardiac Disease Programs
• Diabetes Care Programs