Joint commission will collect, publicize outcomes

Article Abstract:

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) will implement more stringent evaluation procedures in January 1994. As a result, more information on hospitals' performance, as assessed by patient outcome measures, will be available to the public. The JCAHO has been criticized in the past for refusing to publicly identify hospitals that have substandard performance ratings in certain areas. The new system will establish a database that will compile material on performance measures of individual providers. Participation in the new system will become mandatory in 1996. At that time, hospitals that refuse to submit the required data will lose their JCAHO accreditation. Skeptics contend that the new evaluation system will not go far enough toward providing information the public can use to make informed decisions when choosing a hospital.

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Experts debate food stamp revision

Article Abstract:

Supporters and opponents discuss a bill that would allow the poor to purchase vitamins and minerals under the US Department of Agriculture Food Stamp Program. At a congressional hearing on the matter, nutrition and food supplements industry experts said that birth defects, cancer, and heart disease could be reduced by using food supplements, especially among the poor who are at at nutritional risk. They also said that poor people's diet would be improved by using food supplements. Opponents said that for the poor, supplements may take the place of food because part of the bill would also cut food stamp funding. The number of hungry children, already estimated to be substantial among food stamp households, would further increase under the bill, according to opponents.

Purchasing, Laws, regulations and rules, Food and nutrition, Poor, Vitamins, Food stamp program, Food stamps

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Joint Commission begins tracking outcome data

Article Abstract:

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has begun an initiative called ORYX to add data on patient outcomes to a hospital's accreditation status. The Commission first began evaluating hospitals and other healthcare organizations in 1953 and in 1997 accredited about 18,000 healthcare organization in the US. Each organization must submit to an on-site inspection once every three years and many receive unannounced visits in between. With the addition of patient outcome data, the evaluations can be done on a quarterly basis.

Usage, Medical care, Quality management, Medical care quality, Licensing, certification and accreditation, Outcome and process assessment (Health Care), Outcome and process assessment (Medical care), Hospital accreditation

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