Health Care Accreditation. Health, Medicine, Nursing Research Paper

Accreditation and Licensure
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Accreditation and Licensure in Healthcare
Accreditation is an act of officially recognizing a health care facility as having a special status or being qualified to perform specific medical practices. An accreditation body provides its formal services to an organization through third party recognition of competence to perform particular healthcare tasks. They also play a crucial role in ensuring that the services offered in healthcare are of good quality (Chahine, 2019). Some of the accrediting agencies that govern healthcare facilities and organizations include The American Medical Accreditation Program (AMAP) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Each of the two accrediting agencies has its set missions, the composition of their boards, scheduled activities, and history. The healthcare accreditation, such as JCAHO is not mandatory. The healthcare organizations and programs voluntarily pursue the accreditation and certification from their desired accreditors.
The accrediting organizations usually are voluntary programs funded by non-governmental organizations. The sponsors train external peers on the proper assessment of the quality of healthcare offered and the hospitals' compliance with the set standards (Chahine, 2019). The accreditation institutions support the organizations by improving their healthcare structures and accessibility of their services. They also enhance medical outcomes and the quality of care to their patients and the staff. Selected accreditation, such as JCAHCO, provides the organization with a competitive advantage in the healthcare setting and, thus, helps the healthcare in securing new business deals. It also helps in reducing liability costs incurred by the facilities and improves risk management to lower the risks of errors and low-quality services. The certified medical facilities may also benefit from the education provided by the accreditation institutions to boost professional counseling, advice, and general staff education.
The accreditation institutions play a crucial role in the community, the patients, and the organization at large. Institutions such as JCAHO and AMAP strengthen the community's confidence in the standards of healthcare, services, and treatment they obtain from the hospitals. (Greenfield & Pawsey, 2018). When hospitals make an accreditation, the population tends to have a strong belief in the quality of the services offered. High quality implies a few errors and a shift to excellent care. Improvement in patient safety focuses on lowering the tail of the services and quality distribution. The policies stated in the accreditation agreement permits the organization to carry on their duties with required minimum standards. Accreditation is distinct from licensure in that a state governs the latter, while certification is governed by the National Association for the Family Child Care (NAFCC) (Greenfield & Pawsey, 2018). Also, accreditation is a voluntary act, and their illegibility requirement exceeds the minimum standards for licensure. Contrary, licensure is strict and compulsory.
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