The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501 organization that accredits and certifies more than 22,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including hospitals and health care services. The Joint Commission enterprise also accredits medical services from around the world, serving over 70 countries. The organization was founded in 1951 and is the nations oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
The Joint Commissions mission is to empower health care organizations, public health agencies, and others to improve the quality and safety of patient care. They provide tools and resources for health care professionals that can help make a difference in the delivery of care. The Joint Commission accreditation process is a continuous process, and every time a nurse double-checks a patient’s identification before administering a medication, every time a surgical team calls a "time out" to verify they agree they’re about to perform the correct procedure, at the correct site, on the correct patient, they live and breathe the accreditation process.
The Joint Commission employs approximately 1,000 people in its surveyor force, at its central office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, and at an office in Washington, D.C. . The organization is governed by a 21-member Board of Commissioners that includes physicians, administrators, nurses, employers, quality experts, a consumer advocate, and educators.
The Joint Commission accreditation surveys are unannounced, and surveyors are highly trained experts who are doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, laboratory medical technologists, and other health care professionals. The Joint Commission accreditation is woven into the fabric of a health care organization’s operations, and organizations are provided with a self-assessment scoring tool to help monitor their ongoing standards compliance.
The Joint Commission Quality Reports give the public information on the safety and quality of care for all Joint Commission accredited/certified health care organizations. Quality Reports are available online through Quality Check® at qualitycheck.org.
