title: Beyond JCAHO: using competency models to improve healthcare organizations. Part I.
abstract: In 1996 the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) required hospitals to assess, prove, track, and improve the competence of all employees. Part 1 of this two-part series discusses competencies, their assessment, and the implications of meeting and going beyond JCAHO's requirements. Part 2, which will appear in the next issue of Hospital Topics, provides specific guidelines for the development of a competence assessment system and its practical application.
authors.affiliation: University of Houston-Clear Lake, TX, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Decker
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Strader
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wise
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010557:Personnel Administration, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D011361:Professional Competence; D014481:United States