Genesis Medical Center is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) and our cancer program is

accredited by American College of Surgery as a Commission on Cancer community

comprehensive cancer program. The radiation equipment in our department is licensed by the
state of Iowa. Accreditation is a type of quality assurance process to ensure our facility’s
operations and services are meeting desired standards.1 The Joint Commission typically visits
sites every three years to verify they are still continuing to meet the standards necessary to
maintain accreditation. These site visits are very thorough and include review of patient charts
for proper documentation, check of all equipment and supplies, assessment of the safety culture
within the organization, etc.
Our last site visit was in 2017, so we are expecting our next visit in a couple of years.
Maintaining accreditation is very important to the organization and has many benefits including
helping organizations organize and strengthen patient safety efforts, strengthen the community’s
confidence in the quality of care that is provided, improve risk management and risk reduction,
reduce liability insurance costs, provide a competitive edge in the market place, and more.2 A
majority of state governments have come to recognize TJC accreditation as a condition of
licensure and Medicaid reimbursement, so not having such accreditation can have serious
negative effects on an organization.1

1. Lenards, N. Accreditation, Certification, and Professional Organizations. [SoftChalk.

La Crosse, WI: UWL Medical Dosimetry Program; 2016
2. What is accreditation? The Joint Commission Web site.
https://www.jointcommission.org/accreditation/accreditation_main.aspx. Updated 2018.
Accessed September 11, 2018.