The JCAH and Psychiatry: Current Issues and Implications for Practice

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals recently revised its Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (AMH), used to assess the quality of care at health institutions. The authors briefly examine the history of accreditation of hospital-based psychiatric services. They then provide background on factors that influenced the revision of AMH standards such as third-party pressure for cost containment and consumer demands for high-quality health care. The authors also explore such issues as clinical privileges for nonphysician health professionals and the interdependence of the medical staff and the hospital administration in monitoring quality of care.