Product Description
Joint Commission International Accreditation Standards for Ambulatory Care, 4th Edition, provides the requirements for accreditation of ambulatory care organizations throughout the world. The standards define the performance expectations, structures, and processes that must be in place for an ambulatory care organization to be accredited by JCI, whether they provide general and/or specialty services and treatment in outpatient settings, such as freestanding medical, dental, and surgical facilities or are a dialysis center, diagnostic imaging center, ophthalmology clinic, plastic surgery center, or other ambulatory facility.
The 4th edition includes an introduction, eligibility requirements for the ambulatory accreditation program, the Accreditation Participation Requirements (APR), a summary of changes to the fourth edition standards, a summary of key accreditation policies, a glossary, and the standards for ambulatory care.
The standards are divided into two main sections:
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Patient-Centered Standards, which ensure the provision of safe, quality patient care
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Health Care Organization Management Standards, which focus on ensuring a safe, effective, and well-managed organization
Each standard includes a standard statement, an intent statement (which describes the rationale for the standard), and measurable elements (which are the specific requirements of the standard). The 4th Edition standards become effective 1 July 2019, which means all surveys that begin on or after this date will be surveyed under the 4th edition.
Areas of Focus in the Fourth Edition
JCI added new standards with measurable elements, added some new measurable elements to existing standards, and removed some standards and measurable elements. Additionally, JCI updated all the International Patient Safety Goals (IPSGs) as appropriate to ambulatory care.
Other new and revised standards address the following topics:
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Chronic disease management
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Transportation services provided by the organization
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Diagnostic imaging safety program
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Oversight and staff training for point-of-care testing
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Laser safety
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Antibiotic stewardship
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Response to potential global communicable diseases
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Disaster preparedness
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Water quality testing/monitoring (for dental/hemodialysis equipment safety)
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Appropriate use of copy-and-paste and auto-complete in electronic medical records
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Confidentiality and security of patient information via electronic communication
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Planned and unplanned downtime of data systems
Key Features
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Summary of changes to standards requirements
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Reference list at the end of each standards chapter providing sources that support and provide further information on key issues in the standards
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Standards-only listing at the beginning of each chapter for quick reference
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Chapter overview that describes the chapter’s focus
This book is available only as an electronic PDF.