The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO, is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that accredits over 20,000 organizations and programs in the country. JCAHO consists of 1000 surveyors who are dedicated to improving the quality of patient care and health outcomes. JCAHO evaluates healthcare organizations and gives them the tools they need to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. By engaging patients in issues associated with improving the quality of their own care, JCAHO allows organizations to turn real patient feedback into actionable items that work to improve patient outcomes. According to a report published by the National Library of Medicine, positive patient experience actually improves clinical outcomes and patient safety. While all long-term care facilities undergo state surveys, these inspections often look for issues but don’t generally share best practices. A JCAHO accreditation allows communities, like Maplewood Senior Living, to proactively address areas of improvement while building upon their existing strengths.
JCAHO surveyors randomly select patients to interview about their experience in their senior living community. Surveyors also interview and observe patients’ doctors, nurses, and care staff to help evaluate the quality of care given to each resident. During these inspections, surveyors will share tips, and best practices, and identify how an organization can improve care. Surveyors observe each element of the patient experience including patient rights, infection control, medication management, medical errors, and the efficiency of staff. Organizations must go through a rigorous process to become accredited. First, a community must undergo a comprehensive on-site survey of the organization that identifies areas of concern and how to implement best practices. In order to maintain this accreditation, communities must have an onsite survey completed every three years.
At Maplewood Senior Living, providing quality patient care is our promise to residents and their families. Our JCAHO accreditation holds us accountable to our commitment and provides a blueprint for improvement. Our residents can witness this improvement in many different ways on all of our campuses. Staff education, reduced hospital readmission rates, improved patient outcomes, improved emergency preparedness, and overall positive resident experience are a few of the ways a JCAHO accreditation translates into everyday life. Our Maplewood Senior Living communities are always survey-ready, which means quality care is always the standard. Are you ready to live worry-free? Schedule a tour of our community today.
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