Ambulatory care faces new patient safety goals

Oakbrook Terrace, IL-The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) issued 2007 National Patient Safety Goals for ambulatory care facilities and offices in which surgery is performed.

"The 2007 National Patient Safety Goals target critical areas where patient safety can be improved through specific actions in health-care organizations," said JCAHO President Dennis O'Leary, MD. "Organizations that truly integrate these requirements into their daily operations will realize major opportunities to improve patient safety."

One major change encourages organizations to define and communicate the means for patients and their families to report concerns about safety across all Joint Commission accreditation and certification programs. The Commission wants to "encourage patients' active involvement in their own care as a patient safety strategy."

The full text of the goals and requirements can be found on http://www.jointcommission.org/.