Accreditation Corner
Standards Improvement Initiative Update: Where We Are, Where We’re Going
In October 2006, The Joint Commission launched a Standards Improvement Initiative (SII) as part of its continuous effort to improve the standards.
Nearly two years later, the field will soon see the results for the first time.
By now, many leaders and caregivers know that the goals of SII are to:
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Clarify standards language
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Ensure that standards are program-specific
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Delete redundant or non-essential standards
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Consolidate similar standards
As an additional benefit to users, the manuals will be reorganized and the scoring and decision process will be refined.
The improvements—both format and language edits—are targeted to go into effect January 2009 for the ambulatory, critical access hospital, home care, hospital, and office-based surgery programs. Long term care, behavioral health care, and laboratory standards will undergo an SII makeover in 2009 for January 2010 implementation.
Also new in 2009 is the debut of the new E-dition—an all-electronic version of Joint Commission accreditation manuals.
Along with the customary free copy of the comprehensive print manual, organizations will receive a free E-dition (i.e., single-user license). The free single-user license E-dition can be upgraded to a site license (unlimited concurrent users per site) for a fee. E-ditions will be accessible via the Internet with login and password. More information about the E-ditions, including how organizations will receive them, will be available at a later date. Key E-dition features include:
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Easy navigation to the standards. Three ‘clicks’ to reach any standard with its full description, rationale, and elements of performance with scoring criteria.
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Easy navigation to historical crosswalks. Links between the 2008 and 2009 standards to ease the transition to reorganization and renumbering of the standards.
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Keyword search capability across one or more manuals.
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Applicability filters to show only those standards that apply to a particular health care setting (e.g., ambulatory care organizations offering diagnostic/therapeutic imaging).
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For Phase 2 programs (behavioral health, laboratory, long term care) these features will be available in the 2010 E-ditions.
More SII updates are coming—stay tuned to Patient Safety Link for more information.
Free Standards Improvement Initiative (SII) Downloads!
Read the August 2008 special issue of
The Joint Commission Perspectives
, The Joint Commission’s official newsletter by clicking here. (Requires Adobe Reader)
See the video, Introducing the Standards Improvement Initiative.
(Click on your internet connection speed to watch video)
56K Video
| 300K Video
Click
here
to view the Phase II chapters now in review for the Behavioral Health Care, Laboratory, and Long Term Care programs).
Click
here
to see a demonstration of the new Joint Commission E-dition’s navigational features.
Click
here
to
see a demonstration of the E-dition’s searching capabilities.
Click
here
to
see a demonstration of the E-dition’s history tracking function.
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Standards Improvement Initiative Link
Click here to read the most frequently asked questions about the Standards Improvement Initiative.
Click here for more information on the E-dition.
Click here for other Joint Commission Resources electronic accreditation preparation products.
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