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Leveling the “quality” Playing Field: Healthcare Staffing Services get JCAHO Certified.

A widespread, age-old misconception is about to be blown out of the water. From the time of its conception temporary nursing has developed a reputation for supplying inferior staff. Although there is simply no proof or validity to this idea, it has been simply impossible to break the stereotype… until now.

By the fall of 2004 the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) plans to begin certifying supplemental staffing agencies. The certification will provide a method to assess quality and competency in the healthcare staffing industry.

Trust — Right There in Black & White

Setting national standards will help put to rest the competency issues hospitals face when using travel and temporary healthcare professionals. Having to pass a certification process will help reassure management that they are employing highly qualified clinicians, even if they are mobile in nature. Being the so-called “nomads” of the healthcare industry, travelers have often had a difficult time establishing their competency among fellow staff and physicians. JCAHO certification will make this much easier; the facts will be there in black and white.

Another benefit behind the certification process is that it will help eliminate the diversity that exists among the supplemental staffing companies. A national set of standards will bring a new level of consistency to every item that is supplied by a staffing agency — from performance expectations to documentation and immunization. Ultimately, certification will validate the healthcare staffing industry. This in return should increase a hospital’s confidence in using temporary staff when dealing with vacancy issues and nurse-patient ratios.

Step Up or Step Out of the Way

Despite the long list of benefits, not every agency that supplies supplemental healthcare staffing is excited about the JCAHO certification process. Many agencies will have to completely revise how they handle quality assurance. Yet for others that have always made quality a priority, the certification will require little change to procedure and will be more of a recognition to their dedication.

As word about the JCAHO certification of supplement staffing services spreads throughout the healthcare industry it will not be surprising if hospitals start basing their agency choices on who is certified and who is not. Knowing this, agencies that forego certification because the demands are too difficult to meet may see their own demise.

The fact is some companies may not survive this new process. The supply pool will most likely get smaller. But some view this as a positive and not a negative, believing that the end result will be improved delivery of patient care.

The Human Impact of Certification

To see the true benefit of the JCAHO certification, supplemental staffing services have to put aside all the business and financial issues. The way to look at it is, by increasing the range of understanding between hospitals and staffing firms, you enhance the focus of quality care provided by experienced professionals, which leads to improved patient outcomes.

For the most part, both supplemental staffing services and healthcare facilities are welcoming the certification process with open arms. No one can argue that raising the bar on both industry standards and patient care is a good thing!