The University's Dept. of Student Health was rated one of the best student health care providers in the country, receiving a 99 out of 100 score in its evaluation this year by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
"Compared to other facilities, we did quite well," said Madeline Jones, quality improvement coordinator for Student Health.
The majority of scores -- around 60 percent -- fall within the 90s, while the average is 91, JCAHO Spokesman Mark Forstneger said.
"A 99 demonstrates almost perfect compliance with all standards and a commitment to quality and safety," Forstneger said.
Furthermore, in the last two or three years the criteria with which the JCAHO calculates its ratings have become more and more strict.
"We're always raising the bar," Forstneger said.
The two-day evaluation process, during which a team of surveyors conducts an on-site tour of the facilities, is an optional review that medical centers choose to undergo.
Confident that the University's center should receive high marks, student health administrators have continued to seek renewal of the accreditation since 1995.
"We do this to show that we meet the highest standard of quality," Jones said.
The JCAHO is the oldest of such accrediting organizations and its recommendations are widely regarded as the "gold standard" of reviewing organizations for medical centers, Jones added.
And although it is unusual for JCAHO representatives to offer comments on their evaluations, according to Jones, they had several favorable comments to make about the department.
"The organization has many notable strengths ... improvements not only generate improved clinical outcomes but demonstrate efficient use of resources," according to one evaluation. "Comprehensive work with regard to emergency management (e.g. bioterrorism planning) and community collaborative activities is excellent."
Awarded on a three-year basis, the JCAHO's accreditation will be up for review in 2005.
Student Health could be subject to an unannounced visit, as a way of confirming the accuracy and validity of the rating.
But there was little doubt among the JCAHO representatives who visited this year that the University's student healthcare system is in top form.
"Many college campuses are not at this level of development," their report said.
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