How do you define quality in a staffing agency? JCAHO has developed a certification program for Healthcare Staffing Vendors which is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of a staffing firm’s commitment to a higher standard of services. Clinical One will be undergoing company-wide certification this year seeking to renew our certification for our Travel and Case Management divisions and incorporate our Per Diem Division in the certification process. The company will undergo a rigorous on-site review which will evaluate compliance to standards in the areas of leadership, human resources management, performance measurement and improvement, and information management. Key areas that will be evaluated include credentials verification, management processes, training on important contemporary issues, and performance measurement activities. Also reviewed are the processes used for matching the skills of temporary staff with a healthcare organization’s needs, determination of competencies, communication processes, as well as background and health screening checks.

Clinical One has voluntarily chosen to seek JCAHO certification as a means to demonstrate, through an independent and nationally recognized accrediting body, our commitment to quality. We seek to prove to our clients our desire to become a true partner in the provision of quality patient care. Currently JCAHO is working on modifications to their other accreditation programs that would acknowledge and benefit the Healthcare Institutions that are choosing to utilize JCAHO Certified Staffing Vendors. These changes will be designed to reduce the redundancy of efforts in evaluating competency of candidates and providing basic standard education which is now frequently done by both the staffing vendor and the healthcare facility client. Therefore this means a more simplified process is required for accepting a candidate from a JCAHO certified HCSS firm.

Healthcare facilities that choose to work with only JCAHO certified staffing vendors may also find themselves experiencing additional unexpected benefits including potential savings on malpractice and liability insurance premiums and a positive influence on any DPH or other state agency survey. Currently the state of Rhode Island is the only state in the nation requiring Healthcare Staffing Firms to be JCAHO certified however, other states are evaluating the benefits of similar legislation.

Any Healthcare Staffing Firm can say that they follow JCAHO standards, but only after undergoing the rigorous review process, and demonstrating satisfactory standards compliance in all areas, will a staffing firm be awarded a Certificate of Distinction and be able to prove to you their commitment to quality. Better personnel come from better prepared Staffing Firms.