Education - Regional Nursing Clinical Placement - Accreditations

Overview: The Joint Commission on Accreditation (JCAHO) is an accrediting agency, whereby an organization agrees to be measured against national standards set by health care professionals. An accredited organization substantially complies with Joint Commission standards and continuously makes efforts to improve the care and services it provides.

Health care organizations seek Joint Commission accreditation because it:

• Enhances community confidence.
• Provides a report card for the public.
• Offers an objective evaluation of the organization's performance.
• Stimulates the organization's quality improvement efforts.
• Aids in professional staff recruitment.
• Provides a staff education tool.
• May be used to meet certain Medicare certification requirements.
• Expedites third-party payment.
• Often fulfills state licensure requirements.
• May favorably influence liability insurance premiums.
• Favorably influences managed care contract decisions.

Specially trained surveyors evaluate each health care organization's compliance with Joint Commission standards and identify the organization's strengths and weaknesses. The surveyors' goal is not merely to find problems, but also to provide education and consultation so health care organizations can improve.

As the professional leader in raising the health care field to ever-higher standards, the Joint Commission is committed to assuring the American public of quality health care.

College of American Pathologist (CAP)

Overview: The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is a medical society serving more than 15,000 physician members and the laboratory community throughout the world. It is the world's largest association composed exclusively of pathologists and is widely considered the leader in providing laboratory quality improvement program.  

The mission of the College, the principal organization of board-certified pathologists, is to represent the interests of patients, the public, and pathologists by fostering excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide.

CARF

Overview: CARF is a private, not-for-profit organization that accredits programs and services in Adult Day Services, Assisted Living, Behavioral Health, Employment and Community Services, and Medical Rehabilitation. CARF develops and maintains practical and relevant standards of quality for such programs.

The standards are developed by the field, which consists of the persons receiving services, rehabilitation professionals, and purchasers of services, and are applied through a peer review process to determine how well an organization is serving its consumers. Every year the standards are reviewed and new ones are developed to keep pace with changing conditions and current consumer needs.

In addition to information about CARF's accreditation divisions, you can find information about the work of two other important CARF divisions, Education and Training and Research and Quality Improvement.