Cyndi Newman is an ACHC Surveyor & Senior Clinical Review Specialist for office-based surgery and ambulatory surgery centers. She is passionate about quality patient care and the collaborative nature of accreditation. In this interview, Cyndi draws from over...
Office-Based Surgery
Don’t Let Contractors Sink Your Surgery Practice: OBS Vendor Oversight and QAPI Integration, Part 2
By: Rommie Johnson, MPH, PMP, Program Director Rommie Johnson manages the strategic and programmatic direction for Office-Based Surgery (OBS) Centers and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) seeking accreditation and certification through ACHC. His extensive experience...
Accreditation Theater: The Illusion of Rigor in Healthcare Accreditation
By: ACHC Posted: September 11, 2025In the post-9/11 era, the term "Security Theater" emerged to describe over-the-top yet ineffective airport security procedures designed more to make travelers feel safe than to actually increase safety. Today, healthcare...
Don’t Let Contractors Sink Your Surgery Practice: OBS Vendor Oversight and QAPI Integration, Part 1
By: Rommie Johnson, MPH, PMP, Program Director Rommie Johnson manages the strategic and programmatic direction for Office-Based Surgery (OBS) Centers and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) seeking accreditation and certification through ACHC. His extensive experience...
The ABC+D of Plans of Correction: A Practical Guide for OBS Leaders
By: Rommie Johnson, MPH, PMPProgram Director Posted: July 7, 2025Every accreditation survey that identifies non-compliance with an ACHC Standard triggers an immediate need for a plan of correction (POC). Practices focused on office‐based surgery (OBS) operate with...
Avoiding Medical Record Errors in Office-Based Surgery Settings
By: Rommie Johnson, MPH, PMPProgram Director Posted: May 12, 2025Maintaining comprehensive medical records is essential to safe, high-quality care that meets accreditation standards and HIPAA requirements, and would serve as effective legal documentation, if needed....
Clinical Leadership Has an Essential Role in Nursing Services for Surgical Settings
Clinical Leadership Has an Essential Role in Nursing Services for Surgical SettingsClinical leadership is a critical role for ensuring patient safety in the surgical setting, and, in many cases, it’s a requirement of state and federal regulations.This important...
Time Out: Working to Ensure Operating Room Mistakes Don’t Happen
Time-Out: Working to Ensure Operating Room Mistakes Don’t Happen Did you know that the “time-out” performed in healthcare operating rooms was adapted from the aviation industry’s practices? Aviation’s pre-flight checklist and communication protocols reduced errors...
Medication Safety for Office-Based Surgery
How Office Visit Notes Support Sleep CarePosted: April 9, 2024During 2023, surveys of office-based surgery (OBS) facilities by Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) Surveyors revealed a variety of deficiencies. Some of the most common deficiencies found were...
Setting Up for Success: Your Guide to Essential Equipment and Processes in Office-Based Surgery
Setting Up for Success: Your Guide to Essential Equipment and Processes in Office-Based SurgeryBy Rommie Johnson, ACHC Associate Program Director, Office-Based Surgery Posted: February 9, 2024As healthcare continues to advance and adapt, office-based surgery (OBS)...