Now is not the time to be insecure about your hospital security department. A security trade group has announced plans to begin accrediting hospital security departments in June, doing site surveys in much the same manner as The Joint Commission. Hospitals security departments that want to be accredited by the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS) will need to comply with 50 pages of standards, a much tougher set of requirements than that imposed by The Joint Commission. The standards will build on IAHSS' existing certification program, which requires a minimum of 80 percent of security officers certified by IAHSS and having the director of the department certified as a healthcare protection administrator by the trade group. IAHSS pitches the accreditation, which is voluntary, as a means of fending off extra security scrutiny by The Joint Commission.
To learn more about the accreditation:
- read this article from Briefings on Hospital Safety