La Clínica obtiene por tercera vez la acreditación en calidad y seguridad de la Joint Commission International
La Clínica obtains for the third time the accreditation in quality and safety from the Joint Commission International.
In Spain, only five hospitals have the certification, granted by the independent North American organization
The Clínica Universidad de Navarra has obtained for the third time the accreditation in quality and safety awarded by the Joint Commission International (JCI), an independent division of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). In Spain, this institution works at partnership with the Foundation for the accreditation and the development Healthcare (FADA).
The JCI carried out the work audit of the more than 1,000 measurement elements last March and recently issued the certification.
The certification obtained is valid for a period of 3 years, deadline at which time both organizations must return to carry out a process of assessment of the hospital in order to renew it. The first JCI certification received by Clínica Universidad de Navarra took place in 2004. Currently, in Spain there are only five other hospitals with this accreditation, in addition to a dozen institutions belonging to different healthcare categories. In addition to Clínica Universidad de Navarra, the Spanish hospitals accredited are Hospital Costa del Sol, Hospital Valle del Nalón, Hospital de Benalmádena, Centro Médico Teknon and Institut Guttmann.
External and independent recognition
The JCAHO is the most important organization in the United States for the accreditation of healthcare centers. Specifically, it is dedicated to the inspection, through a voluntary certification process, of some 20,000 institutions including hospitals, outpatient and primary care centers, mental health centers, partner-healthcare and home care services. Outside the United States, the Joint Commission International has accredited more than 170 healthcare centers from more than 30 different countries.
The certification granted by the auditing organization has the value of coming from an independent agency dedicated to the international assessment of hospital quality and safety, among other factors. In this regard, Dr. María de la Viesca, Director of Quality at Clínica Universidad de Navarra, stresses that "this external, independent and highly demanding recognition confirms the level of quality with which the professionals at our hospital work. In addition, the content of the accreditation guides us in the fulfillment of our functions, with constantly updated clinical quality and safety standards".
The certification also shows that the center accredited by the Joint Commission International meets a series of standards relating to clinical patient care and the hospital's own management , including the management and safety of the facilities, the training and qualifications of the professionals and the management of the information. In conclusion, it can be stated that " accreditation provides a clear commitment by the organization to improve the quality of patient attendance , guarantee a safe environment and work systematically to reduce risks for patients and staff", says Dr. De la Viesca.
Among the most important U.S. hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission are the following: Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore), Mayo Clinic (Rochester), UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles), Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston), and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles).