Accreditation

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) (CMS) purpose is to ensure effective, up-to-date healthcare coverage and to promote quality care for its beneficiaries. CMS’s hospital survey process is part of the hospital provider’s agreement for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.

CMS develops Conditions of Participation (CoPs) and Conditions for Coverage (CfCs) which healthcare organizations must meet in order to begin and continue participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These minimum health and safety standards are the foundation for improving quality and protecting the health and safety of beneficiaries.

The Joint Commission strives to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of healthcare accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in healthcare organizations.

An independent, nonprofit organization, it is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Since 1951, The Joint Commission has maintained state-of-the-art standards that focus on improving the quality and safety of care provided by healthcare organizations. Its comprehensive accreditation process evaluates an organization’s compliance with these standards and other accreditation requirements. Joint Commission accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. To earn and maintain The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™, an organization must undergo an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years (Laboratories must be surveyed every two years).

The objective of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is to protect and improve the health of all Ohioans by preventing disease, promoting good health and assuring access to quality healthcare. Several Cleveland Clinic areas are licensed by the State of Ohio. These specialty areas are licensed to ensure that programs follow the laws set in the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio Administrative Code. The Ohio Department of Health conducts on-site surveys of healthcare facilities that request state licensing. Cleveland Clinic surveyed areas include the Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Dialysis, and Long Term Care.

The ACCME's mission is to identify, develop and promote the standards of quality continuing medical education (CME) utilized by physicians in their maintenance of competence and incorporation of new knowledge to improve quality medical care for patients and their communities.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is responsible for the accreditation of post-MD medical training programs within the United States. Accreditation is accomplished through a peer review process and is based upon established standards and guidelines.

The mission of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) is to advance the practice and standards of transfusion medicine and cellular and related biological therapies. The long-term goal is to be the preeminent knowledge-based organization focused on improving health through the advancement of science and the practice of transfusion medicine, and cellular and related biological therapies, developing and delivering programs and services to optimize patient and donor care and safety.

The American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) is a scientific, nonprofit, peer group organization founded in 1976 to facilitate the provision of transplantable cells and tissues of uniform high quality in quantities sufficient to meet national needs. Its purpose is to serve as a source of information and advice to individuals and organizations wishing to establish or expand banking activities and to speak for the industry as a whole.

The American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC) is the national certifying and accrediting body for the orthotic and prosthetic professions. The public requires and deserves assurance that the persons providing orthotic and prosthetic services and care are qualified to provide the appropriate services, and it was on this basis that the ABC was established as a credentialing organization.

The American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network has developed an accreditation program to foster high-quality surgical care for patients who undergo bariatric surgery. Program requirements for certification designation include physical resources, human resources, clinical standards, surgeon credentialing standards, data reporting standards, and verification/approvals processes as required by the American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Centers.

The purpose of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons is to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery to its members. Additionally, the society encourages its members to: pursue investigations in both the clinic and the laboratory; interchange ideas, information and experience pertaining to bariatric surgery; promote guidelines for ethical patient selection and care, develop educational programs for physicians, paramedical persons, and lay people; and to promote outcome studies and quality assurance.

The American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) is a nonprofit association of clinical and research professionals including immunologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, transplant physicians and surgeons, pathologists and technologists. As a professional society involved in histocompatibility, immunogenetics and transplantation, ASHI is dedicated to advancing the science and application of histocompatibility and immunogenetics, providing a forum for the exchange of information, and advocating the highest standards of laboratory testing in the interest of optimal patient care.

COLA is a physician-directed organization whose purpose is to promote excellence in laboratory medicine and patient care through a program of voluntary education, consultation, and accreditation. Services are designed to improve clinical laboratories as a whole, and thereby, giving facilities confidence that best patient care is being offered.

The College of American Pathologists, the leading organization of board-certified pathologists, serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Commission on Dietetic Registration protects the public through credentialing processes of dietetics practitioners. The public and other professionals rely on CDR's optimal credentialing processes to identify knowledgeable and skilled dietetics practitioners.

The mission of the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) is to serve the public by establishing, maintaining and applying standards that ensure the quality and continuous improvement of dental and dental-related education and reflect the evolving practice of dentistry. The scope of the Commission on Dental Accreditation encompasses dental, advanced dental and allied dental education programs.

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) promotes excellence in education and enhances quality and safety of patient care through the accreditation of educational programs. The only agency recognized by the United States Department of Education to accredit educational programs in radiography and radiation therapy, the JRCERT accredits educational programs in radiography and radiation therapy and in the related disciplines of magnetic resonance and medical dosimetry.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality. Since its founding in 1990, NCQA has played a central role in driving improvement throughout the healthcare system, helping to elevate the issue of healthcare quality to the top of the national agenda.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health’s mission is to establish mental health as a cornerstone of health in Ohio, and ensure that quality mental healthcare is available to all Ohioans at all stages of life. Their vision for Ohio is to create a community of mentally healthy people who lead fulfilling and productive lives.

Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of human service providers in the areas of aging services, behavioral health, child and youth services, DMEPOS, employment and community services, and medical rehabilitation.

The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE) is a multicultural, multifaith organization devoted to providing education and improving the quality of ministry and pastoral care offered by spiritual caregivers of all faiths through the clinical educational methods of Clinical Pastoral Education.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit, scientific and educational organization that administers the nation's only Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), established by the U.S. Congress in 1984. Through the OPTN, UNOS collects and manages data about every transplant event occurring in the United States; facilitates the organ matching and placement process, and brings together medical professionals, transplant recipients and donor families to develop organ transplantation policy.