Accreditation – Improving Quality Related to Informatics
In this writing assignment, you will write a one-page paper in which you will be explaining accreditation to maintain and improve quality related to informatics.
Step 1 Respond to the following questions as you write your paper:
Explain at least three Joint Commission expectations that can have implications related to healthcare informatics. How do these expectations impact an institution’s development of informatics?
How can the presence of accreditation standards improve the quality of healthcare informatics?
What potential implications exist if a facility does not meet Joint Commission accreditation standards?
Cite any sources in APA format.
The joint commission accreditation process outlies a framework pathway for high-quality quality, safe, and excellent healthcare. In the technological errors where health informatics are entrenched within healthcare operationalization, these processes provide the groundwork for evaluating organizational compliance with the performance standards. The first expectation of the joint commission related to healthcare informatics is the maintenance and communication of accurate patient medication information. In this respect, information systems utilizable in contemporary healthcare should uphold medication safety by ensuring that medication information is provided, providers obtain patient information at the point of contact, and providers compare medication information provided to the patient previously. The second expectation is patient confidentiality. This standard ensures that health information is accessed seamlessly without jeopardizing security and that systems and institutions safeguard protected health information from unauthorized users. The third expectation is continuous staff education on informatics. The overarching principle behind the establishment of these standards is safety and quality enhancement (Black et al., 2020). Healthcare institutions, in this regard, are implored to develop health information systems that meet these standards.
Accreditation standards provide the groundwork for quality improvements. By holding healthcare institutions and staff to higher performance standards, accreditation provides a better guarantee that healthcare service received by the public is of high quality (Hussein et al., 2021). Additionally, accreditation enhances operational efficiency in healthcare by streamlining healthcare processes, thereby enhancing the overall quality of healthcare received by the patients.
Failure to meet the Joint Commission accreditation requirements may result in the denial of accreditation. This may have an impact on the self-image of the institution and the public’s confidence in the services provided in the hospital. This may be translated into the inability to attract qualified professionals. Not meeting the accreditation standards may also lower the efficiency of the institutions’ operationalizations, further compromising the quality of care provided therein.
Black, W. E., Esposito-Smythers, C., Liu, F. F., Leichtweis, R., Peterson, A. P., & Fagan, C. (2020). Leveraging health information technology to meet the Joint Commission’s standard for measurement-based care: A case study. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 46(6), 353–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2020.03.006
Hussein, M., Pavlova, M., Ghalwash, M., & Groot, W. (2021). The impact of hospital accreditation on the quality of Healthcare: A systematic literature review. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07097-6