Acronyms Frequently Used by The Joint Commission
AC
Accreditation Committee
ACO
(Division of) Accreditation and Certification Operations
ACP
American College of Physicians
ACS
American College of Surgeons
ADA
American Dental Association
Americans with Disabilities Act
ADC
Average Daily Census
ADE
Adverse Drug Event
AHA
American Hospital Association
AHC
Ambulatory Health Care (accreditation program)
AHIMA
American Health Information Management Association
AHIP
America’s Health Insurance Plans
AHRQ
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
AMA
American Medical Association
AOA
American Osteopathic Association
APR
Accreditation Participation Requirement
AQA
Formerly known as the Ambulatory Quality Alliance
ASC
Ambulatory Surgical Center
ASHE
American Society for Healthcare Engineering
BAA
Business Associate Agreement
BAG
Business Advisory Group
BARC
Board Appeal Review Committee
BD
Business Development
BHC
Behavioral Health Care (accreditation program)
BOC
Board of Commissioners
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BOP
Bureau of Prisons
BPHC
Bureau of Primary Health Care
CA
Conditional Accreditation
CAH
Critical Access Hospital
CALS
Consolidated Accreditation and Licensure Survey (California)
CAMAC
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Ambulatory Care
CAMBHC
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Behavioral Health Care
CAMCAH
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Critical Access Hospitals
CAMH
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals
CAMHC
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Home Care
CAMLAB
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Laboratory and Point-of-Care Testing
CAMLTC
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Long Term Care
CAMOBS
Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Office-Based Surgery Practices
CAP
Change Acceleration Process
College of American Pathologists
CARF
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
CC
Conditional Certification
CCM
Common Communication Method
CCN
CMS Certification Number (previously Medicare/Medicaid Provider Number)
CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CFA
Critical Focus Area
CfC
Conditions for Coverage (for AHC)
CHAP
Community Health Accreditation Program
CLIA
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988
CMS
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
COLA
Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation
CON
Conditional Accreditation
CONFU
Conditional Follow-up Survey
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CoP
Conditions of Participation (for CMS)
CPG
Clinical Practice Guideline
CSAC
Consensus Standards Advisory Committee (of NQF)
CSG
Clinical Service Group
CSR
Continuous Service Readiness
CTH
Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare
CVO
Credentials Verification Organization
DA
Denial of Accreditation
DBCA
Department of Board and Committee Activities
DMAIC
Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
DMEPOS
Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies
DNV
Det Norske Veritas
DOD
Department of Defense
DSC
Disease-Specific Care (Certification)
E-APP
Electronic Application (for survey)
EC
Environment of Care
EHR
Electronic Health Record
EM
Emergency Management
EMR
Electronic Medical Record
EP
Element of Performance
ESC –
Clarifying
Evidence of Standards Compliance – report submitted post-survey of evidence of
compliance at the time of survey.
ESC –
Corrective
Evidence of Standards Compliance – report submitted post-survey of actions taken to
bring deficiencies into compliance.
ESO1
Early Survey Option 1 for organizations not previously accredited – successful
completion of a limited survey results in Preliminary Accreditation and the potential for
Accreditation at a full survey six months later.
ESO2
Early Survey Option 2 for laboratories not previously accredited – A full survey is
conducted as the first survey and may result in Accreditation. A second survey is
conducted to assure a six-month track record.
E-SOC
Electronic Statement of Conditions
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EXT
Extension survey
FAQ
Frequently Asked Question
FMEA
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
FOC
Focused Survey
GAO
Government Accountability Office
HAC
Hospital Advisory Council
HAI
Health Care-Acquired Infection
HAP
Hospital Accreditation Program
HCO
Health Care Organization
HCSS
Health Care Staffing Services (Certification)
HDS
Hospice Deemed Status
HEDIS
Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set
HFAP
Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program
HIPAA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
HQA
Hospital Quality Alliance
HR
Human Resources
HRET
Health Research and Educational Trust
HRSA
Health Resources and Services Administration
HSCL
Health Systems Corporate Liaisons
HVA
Hazards Vulnerability Analysis
IC
Infection Prevention and Control
IHS
Indian Health Service
ILSM
Interim Life Safety Measures
IM
Information Management
IMQ
Institute for Medical Quality (California)
INIT
Initial survey
IOM
Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of the Sciences
ISMP
Institute for Safe Medication Practices
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ISP
Integrated Survey Process
JCI
Joint Commission International
JCR
Joint Commission Resources
JEX
Joint Commission Connect Extranet
LAB
Laboratory (accreditation program)
LD
Leadership
LS
Life Safety
LSC
Life Safety Code
LT2
Long Term Care Medicare Certification-based accreditation option
LTACH
Long Term Acute Care Hospital
LTC
Long Term Care (accreditation program)
LTD
Long Term Care Deemed Status
MedPAC
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
MedPAR
Medicare Provider Analysis and Review
MIPPA
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008
MM
Medication Management
MMA
Medicare Modernization Act
MOS
Measure of Success
MRDD
Mentally Retarded Developmental Disability
MS
Medical Staff
MSO
Medicare Survey Option (Home Health Deemed Status)
NAC
Nursing Advisory Council
NIH
National Institutes of Health
NPSG
National Patient Safety Goal
NQF
National Quality Forum
NR
Nursing
NS
Never Surveyed
NSC
Nursing-Sensitive Care (Measures)
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NSQIP
National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (American College of Surgeons)
OASIS
Outcome and Assessment Information Set
OBS
Office-Based Surgery
OME
Home Care (accreditation program)
OQM
Office of Quality Monitoring
ORYX
Joint Commission performance measurement initiative (not an acronym)
OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OTP
Opioid Treatment Program
P4P
Pay for Performance
PC
Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services
PCBA
Privacy Certification for Business Associates
PCPI
Physicians Consortium for Performance Improvement
PDA
Preliminary Denial of Accreditation
PEAG
Physician Engagement Advisory Group
PFA
Priority Focus Area
PFAC
Patient and Family Advisory Council
PFI
Plan for Improvement
PFP
Priority Focus Process
PFT
Priority Focus Tool
PHI
Protected Health Information
PI
Performance Improvement
PII
Public Information Interview
PMS
Performance Measurement System
POA
Plan of Action
POC
Plan of Correction
PPR
Periodic Performance Review
PQA
Pediatric Quality Alliance (also Pharmacy Quality Alliance)
PRA
Performance Risk Assessment
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PROV
Provisional Accreditation
PSAG
Patient Safety Advisory Group
PTAC
Professional and Technical Advisory Committee
QASC
Quality Alliance Steering Committee
QIO
Quality Improvement Organization
RC
Record of Care, Treatment, and Services
RCA
Root Cause Analysis
RFI
Requirement for Improvement
RHP
Review Hearing Panel
RHQDAPU
Reporting of Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update
RI
Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual
RPI
Robust Process Improvement
RWJF
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
S3
Strategic Surveillance System
SAG
Survey Activity Guide
SAM
Surveyor Assignment Management (System)
SAMHSA
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
SBAR
Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
SBU
Strategic Business Unit
SCHIP
State Children’s Health Insurance Program
SCIP
Surgical Care Improvement Project
SE
Sentinel Event
SEA
Sentinel Event Alert
SHA
State Hospital Association
SIG
Standards Interpretation Group
SII
Standards Improvement Initiative
SIWG
Strategic Issues Work Group
SOC
Statement of Conditions
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SPCAN
Special Announced Survey
SPCUNA
Special Unannounced Survey
SQA
Surgical Quality Alliance
SRA
State Regulatory Agency
SSP
Standards and Survey Procedures Committee
TJC
Use of an acronym for The Joint Commission should be avoided in any formal
communications.
TS
Transplant/Tissue Safety
USP
U.S. Pharmacopeia
WHO
World Health Organization
WT
Waived Testing
Last updated 9/22/09
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