JCAHO releases program for disease-specific care
Certification program is first of its kind
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has released its Disease-Specific Care (DSC) program, which it calls a "groundbreaking" development.
The program is the first of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs serving patients suffering from specific chronic illnesses — such as asthma, diabetes, and congestive heart failure — and identify ways to improve care and health outcomes. These organizations also identify at-risk groups and promote early detection, compliance, and prevention.
The 2001 Institute of Medicine report Crossing the Quality Chasm recognized that chronic conditions now are the leading cause of morbidity, disability, and death, and account for the majority of health care expenditures with more than 105 million Americans suffering from at least one chronic condition. Asthma, diabetes, and congestive heart failure are among the leading chronic diseases affecting Americans and account for nearly $400 billion spent annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention in Atlanta.
However, there have been no consensus-based national standards broadly applied to disease- specific care services and no independent, external quality evaluation process to assess compliance with national standards. Maureen Connors Potter, RN, MSN, executive director of the DSC program, says the new Joint Commission program is designed to change that.
The new certification program requires compliance with consensus-based national standards; the effective use of established clinical guidelines to manage and optimize care; and the measurement and improvement of health processes, outcomes, and perceptions of care.
"Disease management service companies, health plans, and hospitals are seeking new methods to distinguish levels of care," Potter says. "JCAHO’s national program offers an external validation of the quality and outcomes of DSC services. And the improved systems and processes derived from standards compliance contribute to operational efficiencies."
In addition, business purchasers are turning to disease management programs as a method to improve the wellness and productivity of their work forces as well as reduce health care costs. Consumers, too, increasingly are demanding reliable, comparative information regarding where to seek treatment.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Clinical Resource Management (CRM) Program recently became the first disease management program to be certified under the new program. The program works to get children to the physician before they have an asthma attack. Collaborating with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Southern California Chapter, and the Los Angeles Unified School District, the CRM Program has reduced the need for emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations for children with asthma in Los Angeles. It has accomplished this using multidisciplinary teams of health care professionals that include physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and patient service workers.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content