Did you know that there are more than 15,500 nursing home facilities in the U.S.? This sector of the long-term-care space services more than 1.4 million residents, and that number grows annually. Given the vulnerability of the population they serve, nursing homes are highly regulated; being awarded the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval can help set a facility apart from the competition.
What Is the Joint Commission?
The Joint Commission is a private, non-profit accreditation organization that was developed in 1951. It focuses on continuously improving healthcare for the public through setting standards across many healthcare spaces. Although highly regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS), the Joint Commission has established quality-of-care and survey measurements that CMS has approved as having met or exceeded federal standards. The Joint Commission is revered by the healthcare industry to be the gold standard of quality and excellence in healthcare administration.
What Is the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval?
When a facility becomes accredited, it is offered the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval. This assures regulators, payors, and potential clients that the facility is providing the highest quality and standard of care to its residents.
Organizations use the Gold Seal of Approval to indicate that they have met and/or exceeded CMS guidelines. More often in today’s environment, not having the Gold Seal of Approval is a deal breaker in continued revenue. Health plans, departments of insurance, and departments of health are starting to look to the Joint Commission as a condition of participation. This is entirely encompassing of service standards, quality reporting, and even the credentialing process of quality healthcare professionals who work in such a facility.
For perspective, of all the nursing care centers in the United States, only around 1,200 have Joint Commission Accreditation.
Why Is This Accreditation Important?
Year after year, it becomes more and more challenging for nursing homes to maintain their standing or stand out from the rest of the industry. Not only do facilities want to ensure the highest quality care, but they want something that differentiates them with hopes of bringing more business to their facility.
One way that facilities can set themselves apart is by elevating nurse staffing. Credentialing standards for nursing professionals are fundamental to an onboarding process. A solid credentialing process will help ensure the nursing professional is able to legally perform services and also guarantee they meet minimum compliance and competency criteria for any given facility. This can sometimes include ongoing performance management, which is recognized by CMS through their established Conditions of Participation.
The Joint Commission does not look at this process lightly. This process, along with performance management, is an integral part of a standard facility survey and is scored as such toward a successful accreditation or certification. A substandard credentialing process can jeopardize a renewal or initial accreditation/certification. Working in long-term care can require additional screenings such as federal and state criminal background checks, fingerprinting, and occupational health screenings, all of which have minimum criteria to pass compliance.
Cost Savings From the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval
If a facility is accredited/certified by the Joint Commission, criteria is auto-scored and sometimes foregoes an audit by a regulator. This can save money, administrative resources, and time. What more can an organization want than to have a Joint Commission–accredited/certified process to bring in new business and highlight its standards and mission of excellence in the industry?
IntelyCare was awarded certification by the Joint Commission in July 2019 after review of compliance certified all excellence standards, performance management processes, and credentialing of each of its nursing professionals. In January 2022, IntelyCare renewed its certification status. IntelyCare’s commitment to quality and credentialing processes is paramount and helps ensure our facilities are partnering with an outstanding organization.
Put Quality Care First
As the recipient of the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval, IntelyCare strives for excellence in everything we do—and we know you do too. Learn more about our staffing solutions today.