Accreditation 492 PHCL

Definition It is a process by which an authoritative body formally recognizes that an organization or a person is competent to carry out specific tasks. The most important accreditor in the patient safety in USA is the Joint Commission. Began in 1951 as a joint program of multiple medical association in USA and later covered a plenty hospitals around the world.

Hospital accreditation Until mid-2000s, joint commission visits to hospitals were announced years in advance and focused on hospitals’ adherence to various policies and procedures. In 2006, the accreditor’s visits come unannounced (7 AM every Monday check ). “Tracer Methodology” process. Failure puts an organization at risk of losing its Medicare payments, a significant portion of most U.S hospital’s revenue.

Physician & Program accreditation Physicians’ offices, ambulatory sites, and physicians themselves are also subject to accreditation standards. Physicians require license to practice, renewal involves attaining certain CE hours rather than showing evidence of ongoing competence. Board certification, a voluntary process that need attending specialized training program. MOC programs to promote patient safety

The Structure of Maintenance Of Certification (MOC) programs Four-Part Process for Continuous Learning Keeps Your Certification Current Part I Licensure and Professional Standing Part II Lifelong Learning and Self- Assessment Part III Cognitive Expertise Part IV Practice Performance Assessment Hold a valid, unrestricted medical license Educational and self-assessment programs determined by your Member Board Demonstrate your specialty-specific skills and knowledge Demonstrate your use of best evidence and practices compared to peers and national benchmarks

Unique attributes of Boards It is a voluntary process organized by medical profession itself giving it higher credibility among physicians than measures created by outside organizations It has a singular role in assessing physician’s knowledge and diagnostic abilities.

Other Levers To Promote Safety National Quality Forum (NQF) One of the most important organization in the patient safety world Non-profit organization established in 1999 It has three-part mission: 1.To set goals for performance improvement 2.To endorse standards for measuring and reporting on performance 3.To promote educational and outreach program

Contribution of NQF in patient safety: 1.In 2002, the NQF published a list of serious adverse events called Never Events, which named later as Serious Reportable Events. 2.“safe practices” also endorsed by NQF which contains 34 items and used by many stakeholders to focus their safety efforts. Contribution of healthcare payers in patient safety through its contracting power. Contribution of professional societies and nonprofit safety-oriented organization by several campaigns e.g., campaign to save 100,000 lives.

Conclusion Accreditation plays an important role in ensuring patient safety. Accreditation of hospitals, physicians, and training programs has been an extremely important vehicle for patient safety change. Other organizations that lack accreditation authority can also catalyze significant changes, using levers such as NQF.