JCAHO is an organization made up of individuals from the private medical sector to develop and maintain standards of quality in medical facilities in the United States. What does JCAHO stand for?

JCAHO is an abbreviation for Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It is an organization made up of individuals from the private medical sector to develop and maintain standards of quality in medical facilities in the United States. The JCAHO has no official connection to United States government regulatory agencies, and has no legal enforcement power; however, since many medical facilities rely on JCAHO accreditation procedures to indicate to the public that their particular institution meets quality standards, JCAHO and its policies has taken on a real importance in the medical field, despite the lack of official government sanction.

JCAHO publishes a large body of literature designed to improve the quality of health services, and which can aid in the accreditation process for a health care facility. Although it is not necessary for any given health care organization to apply for, or complete, the JCAHO accreditation process, to do business in the United States or elsewhere, the successful completion of the JCAHO accreditation process gives the impression to the public that a facility has successfully implemented guaranteed quality control standards. A facility which has completed the JCAHO accreditation process can then include the JCAHO logo and accreditation information in their company literature.

In 2007, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations underwent a major rebranding and simplified its name to The Joint Commission.