Flaw Found in Compliance Software JCAHO Sold to Hospitals
Joint Commission Resources, a unit of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, disclosed on its Web site Thursday that it found a flaw in software it sold to more than 1,000 hospitals, which use the program to assist them in qualifying for JCAHO accreditation, the New York Times reports. The software -- which costs several thousand dollars for hospital groups and $495 to $1,095 for small hospitals annually -- is used to help create files showing hospitals' compliance with JCAHO standards. The flawed software was missing an identification marker that cites the 250 out of 1,300 total standards regarded as essential by the commission and its auditors. A hospital might fail to verify its compliance in essential categories if the marker is not in place to alert them. Hospitals that are not in compliance with the essential standards must correct their practices within 90 days and show auditors that they remain in compliance during the following four months, a JCAHO spokesperson said. The commission's Web site called the flaw a "production glitch." Diane Martin, executive director of JCR, said the error was minor and would be fixed on Thursday. However, a spokesperson for Xpediate Consulting -- a firm that sells similar hospital accreditation software -- said hospital administrators were initially told the markers would not be restored until the next update in August. Xpediate computer specialists found the omission earlier in the week and alerted hospital clients to the potential problems, according to the firm's spokesperson. Robert Curran, director of clinical excellence at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, Calif., said many hospitals were concerned that quality-control data already entered into the systems might have been lost (Freudenheim, New York Times, 6/24).
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