The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations was established in 1951 as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. It was created collaboratively by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Medical Association (AMA), American Hospital Association (AHA), and the American College of Physicians (ACP) to continue the program initiated by ACS to provide high quality patient care through a voluntary accreditation process that evaluated a hospital against minimum standards of quality.

Overtime, the Joint Commission broadened its mission to "continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of healthcare accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in healthcare organizations." The Joint Commission sets standards for, evaluates, and accredits nearly 19,000 healthcare organization in the United States.

The Joint Commission is governed by a 29-member Board of Commissioners consisting of 7 members appointed by the AMA, 7 members appointed by the AHA, 3 members appointed by ACP, 3 members appointed by the ACS, 1 member appointed by the American Dental Association, and 6 public members and 1 nursing representative appointed by the Board of Commissioners.

2007 AMA Commissioners to the Joint Commission

Chair:
J. James Rohack, MD

AMA Trustee Commissioners:
Joseph M. Heyman, MD
Edward L. Langston, MD
Rebecca J. Patchin, MD

AMA Non-Trustee Commissioners:
Joseph T. English, MD
M. Nicole Jamali, MD
Josie R. Williams, MD, MMM

The AMA representatives on the Joint Commission Board of Commissioners support improvement in health care through the advancement of AMA policy in the formulation of Joint Commission standards and programs.

Learn more about the Joint Commission.

The AMA also recommends that all members serve on various expert panels that address specific issues related to quality of care and accreditation.

Professional and Technical Advisory Committees (PTACs)

PTACs are an integral part of The Joint Commission's advisory structure. By representing the views of a diverse group of professional organizations and other interests and by providing expert advice, PTAC members assist The Joint Commission in the development and refinement of standards, elements of performance, and survey processes. In addition, each PTAC provides observation on environmental trends, educational needs, and other important issues facing each of the fields in which The Joint Commission offers accreditation services.

Current AMA Representatives/Alternates to five JCAHO PTACs (PDF, 21KB requires Adobe®Reader®) .