Compounding pharmacists have been bracing for USP updates for several years. Now released and scheduled to be effective November 1, 2023, the new USP requirements represent big changes. ACHCU has developed a comprehensive resource for compounding pharmacies to manage the changes. On this episode of the podcast, Greg Stowell and Karen Spano discuss the what, why, and how of the new tools.

A podcast about ideas in healthcare—the underestimated, the overhyped, and the valuable basics—  that drive Accreditation Commission for Health Care’s (ACHC) approach to accreditation across the continuum of care.

Back in person for the first time in three years, the former HFAP Academy multi-track program offers focused sessions for hospital clinical/administrative staff, for hospital facilities management, and new this year, for laboratory management (presented by the LabU Symposium for Clinical Laboratories). On this episode of the podcast, Greg Stowell answers questions about ACHCU Academy.

Patrick Horine established DNV Healthcare as a player in the hospital accreditation space. Now he joins ACHC to lead a suite of facility-based programs that includes hospitals, ASCs, office-based surgical settings and CLIA labs. On this episode of Beyond the Standard, Patrick shares why he made the change and what he sees as the future for hospital accreditation.

Lincoln Healthcare Leadership’s “100 model” gives C-level executives the opportunity to meet with peers and their vendor partners for intense focus on strategies for collaboration. Tim Craig, Vice President and Chief Content Director, discusses how his organization supports conversation among thought leaders in the senior care sector.

For more than 20 years, Lincoln Healthcare Leadership has been working in the homecare/senior care space building a portfolio of conferences and opportunities for content and connection. Home Care 100 is designed to present content that aligns and resonates for the most progressive leaders in the industry.

Barb Sylvester, RN, MSOLQ leads the Regulatory and Quality team at ACHC. She shares why she loves policies and her perspective on the purpose of a survey. (You might be surprised by what she says is the most important aspect.) ACHC’s internal Risk and Quality Guru talks about policies, procedures, plans, and programs and how they work together to establish an organization that “can’t help but succeed.” Barb Sylvester joins Angela FitzSimmons to nerd out over quality.

Sonya Dunbar, RDH, MHA, is a TEDx and national public speaker guided by over 30 years of dental experience in private practice, skilled nursing facilities, and academia. Sonya and her husband, Gerald Dunbar (both Navy veterans), are the owners of Mobile Dental Xpress, providing comprehensive dental care to long-term care facilities. In addition, Sonya is a geriatric oral health educator and co-founder of the National Mobile & Teledentistry Dental Conference and the American Mobile Dentistry & Teledentistry Alliance. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted issues of access to healthcare across the US and globally. With oral health as an example, Beyond the Standard, explores how innovative approaches combining mobile services and telehealth have bridged gaps in access and created new income opportunities providers with accreditation offering assurance of quality.

Tatum Parmer, RN, Standards Interpretation Specialist, ACHC Acute Care and Critical Access Hospital Accreditation Sateesh Prakash, MD, board certified gastroenterologist, Physician Surveyor, ACHC Acute Care Hospital Accreditation As a payor, CMS is interested in Utilization Review to evaluate the medical appropriateness of services (necessity of admission, length of stay, services provided) and has made it a Condition of Participation for hospitals serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Beyond regulatory requirements, utilization review has application as a planning tool for a broad cross-section of healthcare facilities. Utilization review in the broadest sense uses data to evaluate allocation of resources in order to drive higher quality patient care and greater operational efficiency. 

“What Matters to You?” is a simple question to ensure person-centered care. Using it can create deeper personal connection between clinicians, patients and patients’ families leading to more meaningful care plans. Dr. Alice Bonner of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement discusses how this question has spawned multiple initiatives designed to drive shared decision-making across all healthcare settings.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 20.6% of US adults experienced mental illness in 2019. In August 2020 – so about 5 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals reporting symptoms associated with anxiety or depression was 36.4% and in February 2021, it had climbed to 41.5%.

This episode of Beyond the Standard looks at the emotional toll of COVID-19 on healthcare workers at two hospitals and shares the perspective of a licensed clinical social worker specializing in anxiety and depression.

English National Opera Josh Wilda, Chief Information Officer, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health Doug Lang, Vice President for Client Growth, Health Recovery Solutions José Domingos, President and CEO, ACHC.

If there has been a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s the innovative solutions that people have found to maintain connection. In this episode of Beyond the Standard, we share the collaboration between the English National Opera and the British National Health Service to support post-acute COVID patients as they learn to manage respiratory symptoms and anxiety using vocal technique inspired by professional singers. Angela FitzSimmons also speaks with a hospital CIO about his approach to digital strategies to increase patient access to care, an executive with a company focused on remote patient monitoring, and ACHC’s CEO on recognition for telehealth programs.

Why do so many businesses create mission, vision, and values statements and then figure that their corporate culture will take care of itself? In the inaugural episode of Beyond the Standard, ACHC CEO, José Domingos and HFAP VP, Meg Gravesmill talk with Angela FitzSimmons about how the merger of their companies was based on parallel cultures and why their shared approach will be a game-changer for healthcare accreditation.