Accreditation 101
What it is and why it matters.
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What is Accreditation?
When it comes to health care, accreditation refers to the official review process that allows organizations like yours to demonstrate their ability to meet official regulatory requirements and standards. Requirements differ per accreditation organization, but the intent remains the same: to prove that your healthcare organization’s commitment to meeting accreditation standards results in a higher level of performance and a greater focus on patient care.
What is Deeming Authority?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) only grants its coveted deeming authority designation to select national accreditation organizations that consistently exceed expectations. We are proud to have CMS deeming authority for our Acute Care Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Clinical Laboratories, Critical Access Hospitals, DMEPOS, Home Health, Home Infusion Therapy, Hospice, and Renal Dialysis programs.
Quality Management System
ACHC’s internal Quality Management System is certified to ISO 9001:2015. Like the providers we serve, ACHC meets a high bar for quality in everything we do. By making continuous improvement the central focus for our organizations, we are able to help providers deliver consistent, safe, high-quality care to their patients.
What is Certification?
People often use the terms accreditation and certification interchangeably. After all, organizations seek accreditation in order to gain Medicare certification. However, at ACHC, accreditation is a review of the entire organization—all departments, all locations—while certification is a review of a specialty program within an organization, like telehealth, stroke, or wound care, as examples. ACHC accepts applicants for certification if they hold Medicare certification (for deemed programs) or are fully licensed and accredited by ACHC or another recognized accrediting organization (for non-deemed programs).
Why Accreditation Matters
You’re committed to quality. You’re passionate about patient care. Earning accreditation is a natural next step in establishing or maintaining a superior level of safety and care within your organization.
Why ACHC Accreditation?
ACHC Accreditation programs are created in consultation with industry experts to ensure relevance, value, clarity, and integrity. Our internal quality management is certified annually by ISO (international Organization for Standardization). Then we top it off with world-class customer service.
Here’s what you gain:
A credential
Accreditation validates quality in healthcare organizations. Achieving accreditation helps build pride in your team for their collaborative effort toward this recognition and for their drive toward continuous improvement.
A differentiator
Not every healthcare organization prioritizes earning accreditation. Taking the steps to establish or renew your accreditation shows your commitment to improving patient outcomes and safety—while also placing you firmly ahead of the competition.
A partner
Accreditation is more than box to be checked. Our collaborative, educational survey approach helps organizations understand their strengths and deficiencies, enabling them to develop a thorough Plan of Correction (POC) to maintain ongoing excellence.
Here’s how we do it:
Relevant Standards
Clear, realistic, validated standards are tailored to the services you provide.
Educational Focus
An end-to-end commitment to education makes us different. We act as an extension of your team, a partner in your success. And for additional resources, ACHCU, our educational division, offers unparalleled, 24/7 access to program-specific resources.
Industry-Expert Surveyors
ACHC surveyors have extensive practical experience in your setting. They understand your organization’s pain points and the best practices to mitigate them. We are knowledge sharers.
Payor Recognition
In addition to CMS deeming authority , ACHC programs are widely recognized by other third-party payors.
Transition Program
We make it easy to switch your accreditation to ACHC—our experienced team will help guide you through the entire process.
Dedicated Account Advisors
Get the most relevant, up-to-date advice about the accreditation process from our dedicated Account Advisors whenever you need it. We are accessible!
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Surrounding you with education
Start preparing for accreditation now with ACHCU educational resources.
Get the big picture about how ACHC offers more.
ACHC is here to help you throughout the accreditation cycle.
Before the Survey
We commit to helping you achieve accreditation. It starts with access to ACHCU, our educational division that offers an extensive collection of resources designed for staff education and development and survey preparation. This includes workshops, workbooks, free webinars, a learning management system, master classes, and more.
During the Survey
Our streamlined survey process is designed to help you gain value from your accreditation—by enhancing your business operations and your patient care. During your formal review, our industry-expert Surveyors will follow a comprehensive process that includes direct observations, interviews, and document review.
Beyond the Survey
ACHC Surveyors will conduct a review of your organization’s operations every three years (two years for clinical laboratories) but we share news (regulatory updates, standards interpretation insights, free webinars) and new resources throughout the cycle to help you maintain excellence and a culture of continuous improvement. Over time, your organization will maximize its potential for excellence with consistent, operational efficiency and safer, higher-quality patient care.