Joint Commission International

In the United States, many hospitals and health organizations are accredited by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).  Depending on the state, accreditation may be required for licensure and other government reimbursement programs such as Medicaid in California.  NTUH is accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), a not-for-profit affiliate of the JCAHO established about 15 years ago.  Similar to U.S. hospitals., NTUH undergoes inspections by JCI every three years for accreditation.  The overall objective of these inspections is to assess their level of performance compared to healthcare organizations around the world and to ensure they are on par with a certain standard established internationally.  Additionally, these inspections push the hospital to find ways to continually improve their quality of care, medical ethics, patient safety, evidence-based medicine, and many other aspects.

During my time at NTUH, the hospital staff was in the process of preparing for the next upcoming inspection.  My UDD preceptor was on the hospital committee in charge of this preparation for JCI.  She said that NTUH is one of the only hospitals in Taiwan that is currently accredited by JCI.  Although it is not required for licensure as it is in California, NTUH wants to stay on the same level as the leading healthcare organizations in the world.  When I went to the floors with my pharmacist, she noted many operational details that could still be improved upon before the inspection ie leaving charts out in view of the public, hospital staff not sanitizing hands before and after entering patient rooms.  All of these inspections and accreditation processes, though grueling from a day to day standpoint, are the best way for health care organizations to continually improve their quality of care and increase their standards.  In the end, it all goes towards serving one population: the patient.