The Joint Commission and National Association for Healthcare Quality Ally to Advance Healthcare Quality and Safety

The Joint Commission and the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) have announced an alliance to “advance global healthcare quality and safety.”

Through this alliance, the two organizations aim to unite “to a universal set of quality competencies” by encouraging healthcare organizations to adopt NAHQ’s National Healthcare Quality Competency Framework.

In addition, the organizations will “skill” healthcare professionals by offering an accreditation in healthcare quality and 25 annual scholarships to fund accreditation attainment in underfunded organizations. They will also co-develop training and education, including “a series of micro-credentials aligned with each of the eight domains of [the] Healthcare Quality Competency Framework.”

Stephanie Mercado, president and CEO of NAHQ, touts this alliance as a “massive step toward…adoption of a universal quality competency framework and standardized education and certification of the workforce.”