Joint Commission International (JCI) was established in 1997 as a division of Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), a private, not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission. JCI extends The Joint Commission's mission worldwide by assisting international health care organizations, public health agencies, health ministries and others to improve the quality and safety of patient care in more than 80 countries.

Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety

In March 2005, The Joint Commission and JCR established the Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety www.jcipatientsafety.org to improve patient safety by providing resources, solutions, processes and procedures that help eliminate preventable adverse events in all health care settings worldwide.

In August 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated The Joint Commission and JCI as the world’s first WHO Collaborating Centre dedicated solely to patient safety. The Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety is operationalizing this effort by forging partnerships with leaders in developing and developed countries to identify health care safety trends with patient safety solutions and best practices.

International accreditation and certification

JCI’s Accreditation Program was launched in 1999. The standards, developed by international experts, set uniform, achievable expectations for structures, processes and outcomes for health care organizations. The process is designed to accommodate specific legal, religious and cultural factors within a country. JCI offers five accreditation programs in ambulatory care, clinical laboratories, hospitals, medical transport organizations, and care continuum. Currently, JCI has agreements with two countries to offer a national and international accreditation award at the same time. The Fundación Avedis Donabedian (FAD) in Spain and the Consortium for Brazilian Accreditation (CBA) in Brazil use the same standards, survey process and accreditation decision rules as JCI and the accreditation decisions are jointly decided. In addition, these international partners provide surveyors and staff who understand the national health care systems, language and culture.  JCI’s Disease- or Condition-Specific Care Certification Program was launched in 2006. This program differs from accreditation in that it is a comprehensive evaluation of disease- or condition-specific services, while accreditation is a comprehensive evaluation of the overall quality and safety of an entire organization. Certification standards apply to a variety of health care programs, including:

• Primary stroke
• Maternal and well child care
• Chronic kidney disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Oncology care
• Cardiac disease
• Diabetes care

International consulting

Since 1994, JCI Consulting has provided education and technical assistance services to health care organizations, ministries of health, accrediting bodies, and other entities outside of the United States. During the last 15 years, JCI has established a solid record of assisting health care organizations and governmental agencies in more than 65 countries. JCI provides practical solutions to help develop clinical services, improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety, reduce and manage risk, and reach international standards and other goals. JCI consultants offer the following services:

• Preparing for accreditation
• Developing and improving operations
• Developing a national or regional quality evaluation system
• Measuring performance and developing an ongoing program of quality improvement that is essential to achieving-and maintaining-standards compliance.

For more information 

Visit www.jcrinc.com/international.asp?durki=7656 or call +1 (630) 268-7400.