Voluntary Accreditation
Now that your Vila Health hospital has a robust compliance program and an all-staff compliance training program in place, senior leaders want to take the next step. They want the organization to perform an in-depth analysis of the benefits of voluntary accreditation. Senior leaders know the Joint Commission accreditation it currently possesses is good for the organization’s reputation and standing in the community. However, they also want to know what additional benefits, which it has not capitalized on yet, might exist for the organization. They hope to better justify the costs associated with voluntary accreditation.

Because of your involvement in developing and implementing the new compliance program, they have asked you to research and prepare a summary brief on how The Joint Commission accreditation helps the organization comply with regulatory requirements, improve quality, and meet stakeholder needs. In your summary brief, they have also asked you to consider other accrediting organizations that could benefit the organization.

Instructions
To meet your senior leaders’ request, prepare a 1012-page summary brief. A summary brief is a common document in management that is used to summarize concepts, issues, products, or projects. Summary briefs often vary in format. For academic purposes, the required format for this summary brief is APA format, a common format for health care research and academics. Consult the APA Module on Campus or the SONHS APA Template (given in the resources) for additional guidance on appropriate use of APA guidelines.

Use the following headings to organize your summary brief for leadership:

Accreditation in Health Care
In three to four paragraphs:

Provide a short overview of accreditation in health care.
Accreditation Requirements
In three to four paragraphs:

Include an overview of the most common accreditation requirements.
Accreditation and Regulatory Compliance
In one to two pages:

Compare and contrast accreditation and regulation requirements.
Detail how accreditation helps health care organizations meet regulatory requirements.
The Joint Commission Standards
In one to two pages:

Analyze the key Joint Commission standards that apply to this organization.
Accreditation Best Practices
In two to three pages:

Describe industry best practices for meeting accreditation requirements.
Other Accrediting Organizations
In two to three pages:

Select and identify one accrediting body other than The Joint Commission and analyze the benefits of its accreditation for the organization.
Conclusion
In three to five paragraphs:

Share your informed opinion about whether the cost and required effort for meeting accreditation requirements have value to the organization.
Note: You do not need to perform a full financial analysis here. You only need to share considered insights about the benefits and costs of voluntary accreditation.

Additional Requirements
Your assignment should meet the following requirements:

Written Communication: Ensure your summary brief is clear, well organized, and free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
APA format: Use current APA style and formatting. Indent the first sentence of all new paragraphs.
Length: 1012 double-spaced pages, not including abstract, title page, and reference page.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
References: Cite a minimum of three references from peer-reviewed journals. Also include two web pages or websites from health care accrediting organizations.
Review the Voluntary Accreditation Scoring Guide so that you understand how your faculty member is going to evaluate your work. Submit your assignment as a Word document.