Accreditation Commission Waits for ConsensusAccreditation Commission Waits for Consensus
March 1, 2005
Originally Published MX March/April 2005
IT IN HEALTHCARE
While the healthcare industry starts responding to the government's call for interoperable electronic health records, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is prepared to reinforce whatever standards are decided on through its accreditation process.
Up to now, JCAHO hasn't required hospitals to put in EHRs because of the barriers to implementation, says Paul M. Schyve, MD, senior vice president of the joint commission. But its information management requirements are written with the idea of EHRs in mind.
"For example, we say that where there are standardized nomenclatures, organizations should use them," Schyve points out. "While that's applicable to written records, it comes out of the thinking that EHRs should be interoperable."
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