Conflict of interest is such an inherent flaw in the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ structure that the federal government should take over the responsibility and make the accrediting body a contractor, says U.S. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA).
Stark contends that the federal government should establish health care quality standards and then contract with appropriate professionals to ensure that providers comply. He says the Joint Commission would be the obvious choice to hire for the job, but that having them answer to the government would make a major difference.
"Their responsibility would be to us, and their pay would be from us," he says. "There would be absolutely no negative incentive as you find in the current system. Their responsibility would be to the federal government, and then we could say there have to be surprise visits and on down the line."
Stark also says providers should be charged more for Joint Commission surveys as an incentive to get things right the first time. The fees would be paid to the federal government, which then would pay the Joint Commission for its work.
"We should do what they did when I was in banking. I was charged for the examination," he says. "The better shape my records were in, the less they had to do, the quicker they could do it, and the less it would cost me. Others would have significant problems and pay a lot more."
Margaret VanAmringe, vice president for external relations with the Joint Commission, says this isn’t the first time she’s heard a suggestion that the Joint Commission’s responsibilities be turned over to the federal government. She doesn’t think it will happen.
"We obviously do have a very strong relationship with the federal government, and I think we are very accountable now," she says.
"Obviously, Congressman Stark would like to see a stronger structure, but we think that relationship works well now. I think he may not understand how much we do in terms of providing a very significant source of information to the government, free of charge," VanAmringe explains.
Conflict of interest is such an inherent flaw in the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations structure that the federal government should take over the responsibility and make the accrediting body a contractor, says U.S. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA).
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