Accreditation is awarded upon successful completion of an on-site survey. The on-site survey is conducted by a specially trained Joint Commission surveyor or team of surveyors who assess your organization's compliance to our standards.
During the survey, surveyors select patients randomly and use their medical records as a roadmap to evaluate standards compliance. As surveyors trace a patient’s experience in a health care organization, they talk to the doctors, nurses, and other staff who interacted with the patient. Surveyors also observe doctors and nurses providing care, and often speak to the patients themselves. All regular Joint Commission accreditation surveys are unannounced.
Accreditation for most types of organizations is a three year award. The exception is laboratory accreditation, which is a two year award.
