The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 50 years and today it accredits approximately 4,500 general, children's, long term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and surgical specialty hospitals, and maintains a unique accreditation program for critical access hospitals. The Joint Commission currently accredits approximately 80 percent of the nation's hospitals. Accreditation helps to inform and protect consumers, educate providers and support improvement in the quality of the health care system overall. Hospitals seek Joint Commission accreditation primarily as a means to…
