The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is a private, non-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. JCAHO is recognized by the federal government as a standards-setting and accrediting body for health care organizations. The commission sets specific standards for each type of health care organization, and these standards must be met in order for the organization to be accredited.
Organizations that are accredited by JCAHO have been found to have higher quality of care and patient safety than those that are not accredited. In addition, JCAHO’s accreditation process provides an independent evaluation of an organization’s performance and can help identify areas in need of improvement.