Home healthcare company FirstLight Home Care has named The Joint Commission as its national provider of accreditation and certification services. Through the collaboration, The Joint Commission will help FirstLight Home Care advance quality improvement and safety activities for local clients and their families.
The Joint Commission, the nation’s largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare, accredits more than 5,000 programs that provide home care services. The Joint Commission’s accreditation and certification process helps healthcare organizations achieve and sustain standardized performance excellence. FirstLight Home Care locations will have access to The Joint Commission’s survey readiness resources, decision support options, and business intelligence tools.
To achieve Joint Commission accreditation, each FirstLight Home Care location that pursues accreditation must undergo an on-site survey to evaluate its compliance with Joint Commission standards and requirements. This survey assesses the location’s performance in specific areas to help locations provide client care and services in a safe manner. The survey process provides education and guidance to help staff continue to improve performance.
“Joint Commission accreditation is the Gold Seal of Approval when it comes to quality safety protocols and standards,” says Kerri Pendley, vice president of Strategy for FirstLight Home Care. “We see this as valuable for the FirstLight brand as a whole. It ensures that we as an organization remain committed to a higher standard of service delivery and to continually improving care in the home. Obtaining accreditation means our franchisees hold themselves accountable to those standards for their business, their clients, and the communities they serve.”
The Joint Commission’s Home Care Accreditation program, established in 1988, accredits programs that provide home care, hospice, personal care and support, pharmacy, home infusion, and durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) services.
“The Joint Commission looks forward to working with FirstLight Home Care to help its locations across the nation achieve and sustain standardized performance excellence through accreditation and certification,” says Brian Enochs, JD, executive vice president, Business Development and Marketing, The Joint Commission. “As more patients and their families seek home care services, it is critical that safe and high-quality care is provided within the home. Accreditation and certification are a pathway to help FirstLight Home Care locations establish the processes and policies to do so.”
