Credentials From Hospital Accreditation Organizations Leads To Higher Performance Scores

By Author: Larry Chandler
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A new study has proven that hospitals and labs who received credentials from hospital accreditation organizations perform better in areas such as heart failure and pneumonia treatment compared to hospitals without accreditation. In fact, over the past few years the gap in service has significantly increased between accredited hospitals and non-accredited facilities.


This is the first study that has examined accredited medical facilities for five years and shown a significant difference between the types of facilities.


The performance of accredited hospitals improved over a number of factors. The study indicated that these hospitals scored higher in standardized care measures as well as clinical area scores. Naturally, the accredited hospitals also had overall scores that were higher than non-accredited hospitals. The claim by hospital accreditation organizations that accredited medical practices offer better quality service is actually being proven true through this study.


In fact, the study pointed out that less than 70 percent of non-accredited hospitals have ...
... managed an overall score higher than a 90 percentile rating. Scoring the equivalent of a “B” on an exam in high school or college may be fine for many people, but it is safe to say when it comes to health we all want the absolute best care that we can find.


Some hospitals have debated on the issue of the value of accreditation. Now that an extensive study, over a protracted period of time, has proven that receiving credentials from hospital accreditation organizations will definitely lead to an increase in standards that are graded from an independent public authority.


The most important take away from this study is the overall improvement in quality of care for hospitals that choose to achieve accreditation. Hospital accreditation organizations provide guidelines and standards for offering patient care. By following these best practices medical organizations are not only providing top care to their patients but also improving the overall standing of the facility. This type of sharing of information will lead to more best-practices and continued improvement that can be experienced by a wide range of medical facilities.


The study is a lead in to the first report that will recognize facilities that achieved high scores in various categories. Besides hospitals there are also surgery centers and asthma centers specializing in children treatment included in the recognition. Since most people respond better to healthy competition it is hoped that shining a light on the high achievers will entice other medical centers to improve their procedures and operations.

Larry Chandler is a freelance writer for COLA one of the leading hospital accreditation organizations which also offers CLIA Inspection. Visit their website to learn more about their Online CME Credit at Cola.org.