One of the growing trends in private duty home care is the accreditation of home care companies to demonstrate their commitment to quality of care. In fact, the NC Division of Medical Assistance will require agencies to become accredited in private duty nursing only by March 2014. The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) was one of the first accrediting agencies to establish quality standards for private duty home care that are separate from the standards for home health care. Further, for certain programs and services, Medicare requires organizations to become accredited by an approved accreditor like ACHC before they are able to participate with Medicare.
Not only is accreditation regarded as one of the key benchmarks for measuring the quality of an organization, but it can provide the following additional benefits for your organization:
- Differentiation from other home health providers;
- Greater patient recognition and trust; and
- Increased value of your organization.
Accreditation is a process of review that healthcare organizations participate in to demonstrate the ability to meet predetermined criteria and standards of accreditation established by a professional accrediting agency. Accreditation represents agencies as credible and reputable organizations dedicated to ongoing and continuous compliance with the highest standard of quality. ACHC collaborates with industry experts to create standards to ensure that quality is maintained throughout all aspects of the organization. This process also provides information for management to make decisions regarding operations in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of business performance.
ACHC wants to help you learn more about the accreditation process to help you decide if accreditation is right for your company. An Introductory Workshop for Private Duty Providers is for organizations seeking accreditation for the first time, this workshop provides an in-depth look at pre-survey preparation, key steps to having a successful onsite survey and how to complete important post-survey components. Participants also learn essential information for preparing the Preliminary Evidence Review (PER) as well as creating an effective Plan of Correction (POC).
During the workshop, an ACHC Clinical Educator and Surveyor provide participants with hands-on training for using their take-home edition of the ACHC Accreditation Guide to Success, a program-specific, comprehensive tool that offers guidance on the meanings and requirements of each ACHC Standard. Specifically developed to help organizations create more efficient policies and procedures, this resource contains audit tools and hints, essential components for accreditation preparation, and best practices for a successful on-site survey.
Contact Matt Hughes or Brooke Banson at ACHC (919-785-1214) today to learn more about obtaining accreditation for your company.
