Shaw's Eco-Logic

This HND piece examines the leading organization for accreditation of healthcare facilities in the US—the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. We trace its history all the way back to surgeon and pioneer in patient outcomes measurement Ernest Amory Codman, MD. Unfortunately, Codman is sort of a secular Joan of Arc figure in medicine: Greatly admired now, but figuratively burned at the stake by his contemporaries. (cf. Mark 6:4)

We focus on some recent critiques of this group, including a blistering article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, and a new study, coming out of Harvard. Let's just say that the Joint Commission's gold seal of approval may not be warranted in certain cases.

Read the complete article.