Joint Commission Launches Healthcare Staffing Services Certification Program

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations today officially launched its certification program for healthcare staffing firms. More than 100 healthcare staffing firms have expressed their intent to seek healthcare staffing services certification from the Joint Commission.

The Joint Commission is launching the Health Care Staffing Services Certification Program to provide national standards, a credible process of external evaluation and performance improvement resources for the health care staffing field, says Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president of business development, government and external relations. 

The ongoing shortages of nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals have forced health care organizations to increasingly fill positions with temporary workers through contractual arrangements with staffing firms.  The Joint Commission certification program offers an independent, comprehensive evaluation of a staffing firms abilities to provide competent staffing services.

Standards for the healthcare staffing services program are posted on the Joint Commissions website at http://www.jcaho.org/dscc/hcss/index.htm.

The standards were developed with input from an expert task force that also guided the development of the survey process and performance measurement requirements for the new program. Standards address topics such as:

Credentials verification

Competency assessment

Staff placement

Monitoring staff and service performance

 Staffing firms and the health care organizations that rely on them are seeking new methods for demonstrating a commitment to providing and continuously improving quality services, says Michele Sacco, executive director of healthcare staffing services certification for the Joint Commission. The Joint Commissions national program offers health care providers a third-party source of information to assist them in making choices among staffing firms and supports efforts to improve the quality and quality of care delivered to their patients. Highly sought after healthcare professionals can also have confidence that certified firms adhere to rigorous national standards and are committed to continuously improving business practices.

Source: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations