The Mexican CSG Accreditation is given by the General Health Council of Mexico, an office of the
Mexican Ministry of Health. The CSG Accreditation program covers hospitals, outpatient medical units, psychiatric units, rehabilitation facilities and other health care organizations.
The Organization
The General Health Council of Mexico covers all public and private health care organizations in the country. It was decided, in 1999, to bring the standards for health care organizations under the General Health Council of Mexico in line with international standards such as the
Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. A committee with representatives from public and private health care organizations and members of the JCI Accreditation program put together the National Certification Commission to design a model of health care accreditation in Mexico.
This is often referred to as the National Certification System of Health Care Facilities or Sistema Nacional de Certificación de Establecimientos de Atención Médica.
The CSG Accreditation program operates independently in order to improve and maintain health care standards in health care organizations across the country.
CSG Accreditation Standards
The objective of the CSG Accreditation program is to work with health care organizations to continually improve the quality of medical services and patient safety, and to encourage organizations to maintain their competitive advantage and position in the health care market.
Patient-centered standards include:
- Access to care
- Rights of the patient
- Evaluation of patients
- Care of patients
- Surgical care and anesthesia
- Medication use and management
- Patient education
Management standards include:
- Quality improvement and patient safety
- Staff qualifications and education
- Prevention and control of infection
- Management of communications and information
- Leadership and direction
- Management and security
International patient safety standards include:
- Correct identification of patients
- Effective communication
- Safety of high-risk medicines
- Correct surgery procedures
- Reduce risk of infections
- Reduce risk of patent falls and injury
Accreditation Process
In order to be able to apply for accreditation, a health care organization should have been established for more than one year, and be properly licensed. If applicable, at least a year must have passed since an organization received a “Not Certified” verdict from the health council.
The CSG Accreditation process is made up of three phases. The three phases consist of application and self-evaluation, audit, and final report. To apply for CSG Accreditation, an organization must fill out the application form and the corresponding self-evaluation form for their type of organization. The self-evaluation must review the organization in the light of the minimum requirements for infrastructure, human resources and equipment. For the hospital to progress to the audit stage, it must fulfill 100 percent of the essential standards, 80 percent or more of the necessary standards and 50 percent or more of the desirable standards.
Following the audit (assessment) the surveyor team issues a report which the CSG committee revises and rules to be correct. The final ruling is “Certified” or “Non-Certified”.
A certified hospital meets on of the following criteria:
- Meets the general standards between 60 and 74 percent of the time, and the essential standards 100 percent of the time, and will be awarded CSG Accreditation for two years.
- Meets the general standards between 75 and 84 percent of the time, and the essential standards 100 percent of the time, and will be awarded CSG Accreditation for two years.
- Meets the general standards above 84 percent of the time, and the essential standards 100 percent of the time, and will be awarded CSG Accreditation for three years.
Duration of the Accreditation Process
The time for accreditation varies but is on average one year.
Accreditation Cost
The accreditation cost depends on the organization’s size and complexity. The accreditation fee is paid 50 percent by the hospital, and 50 percent by the General Health Council.
Re-accreditation Process
If, after the period of validity is reached, the hospital hasn’t reached the next level according to the CSG standards, it will not be reaccredited.
Reaccreditation takes place every two or three years, depending on how the hospital was certified.