Trends and Technology: Summer 2005

ONLINE Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), an affiliate of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), is a global, knowledge-based organization that disseminates information about accreditation, standards development and compliance, good practices, and health care quality improvement. The Website, www.jcrinc.com, offers resources that make perfectly clear what JCAHO expects of each healthcare entity. The JCR site even has a page called “This Week's Advice,” which provides (the week I visited, for example) articles by JCAHO experts on the intricacies of “Elements of Performance” for categories A, B, and C. The site also has a link to a sister site for the Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety. In June, look for the 2006 Patient Safety Goals – the 2005 new goals are there and listed in bold under “Healthcare Professionals and Providers,” in the “Laboratory” category (visit www.jcipatientsafety.org). Overall, JCR offers a full spectrum of resources to benefit organizations in the business of providing or managing healthcare. The site offers information (in general terms) about JCR education programs, publications, and multimedia products, the Continuous Service Readiness initiative, comprehensive healthcare consulting and custom education, and accreditation and international consulting for organizations abroad. Visit the JCR site during that leisurely time between accreditation visits to learn about aspects of accreditation, performance improvement, and many other issues.

NEW PRODUCTS Dade Behring announced that its KnowIT™ virtual classroom (Knowledge-building Interactive Technology) is now available for its PFA-100® System customers. KnowIT™ is the company's proprietary online courseware, which provides interactive learning on-site…