SEIU and others assail JCAHO
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Washington, DC, has asked the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General to investigate the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Oakbrook Terrace, IL, for possible conflict-of-interest issues. In January, Andrew Stern, president of the union, stated that the accrediting agency should forfeit its deemed status. Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-CA) endorsed the comment and said he plans to introduce legislation to make the Joint Commission more accountable.
SEIU spokesman Steve Askin says, "We’d discovered a consistent pattern: When front-line caregivers go to the Joint Commission with honest information about problems they’re having making it difficult for them to deliver quality care, the Joint Commission deals with them in ways that make clear that the information is not being taken seriously. Meeting the standards doesn’t seem to have much to do with delivering quality care on the days the JC isn’t there."
Joint Commission president Dennis O’Leary conceded some of SEIU’s points, but said others were ill-informed. The agency responded publicly to the SEIU in a statement describing the Joint Commission’s mission and commitment to continuous quality improvement. t
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