Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations ...

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards for 2007 have broadened the need for hospitals to use external peer review, according to Dr. Skip Freedman, Executive Medical Director at AllMed Healthcare Management, a national Independent Review Organization (IRO). Peer review is an internal process by which hospitals assure that its doctors are competent and well trained enough to safely treat patients and provide the best quality of care. Hospitals turn to unbiased third parties like IROs to evaluate cases involving sentinel events and doctor errors; particularly when internal conflicts of interest preclude an objective evaluation by a hospital's own peer review committee.For 2007, the JCAHO defines two types of reviews aimed at assuring physician competence: "focused professional practice evaluation" (MS.4.30) and "ongoing professional practice evaluation" (MS.4.40).

JCAHO Standards Expand External Peer Review Use by Hospitals

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards for 2007 broadened the need for hospitals to use external peer review, according to Dr. Skip Freedman, chief medical director at AllMed Healthcare Management, an independent review organization (IRO). Peer review is an internal process by which hospitals assure that its doctors are competent and well trained enough to safely treat patients and provide the best quality care.

Hospitals turn to unbiased third parties, like IROs to augment evaluations of cases involving doctor errors, or when internal conflicts of interest exist precluding an objective evaluation. For 2007, the JCAHO defines two types of reviews aimed at assuring physician competence, “focused professional practice evaluation" (MS.4.30) and “ongoing professional practice evaluation" (MS.4.40).

ASSU Senate: Review Recommendations

First, the ASSU must support a stronger arts scene on campus next year. Arts, music and literary groups complain about being underfunded, and the Senate next year must move toward funding arts groups at a higher level next year. Creating a more vital arts scene is crucial for improving student life on campus. Second, the ASSU must comprehensively address the increasingly contentious relationship between some student groups and various parts of the administration. We have already seen this with the Band controversy, which the ASSU stayed out of. That cannot be our continued practice. What should the ASSU do to advocate for students?The ASSU, specifically the Senate, cannot stay out of disputes any longer. The Daily has been the main defender of the Band and the main critic of the OSA, and the ASSU has been criticized for having too cozy of a relationship.