American Osteopathic Association: Accrediting Hospitals Since 1945 - Essay Sample

Introduction

This a program that grew out when The American Osteopathic Association was approved. Found in 1945, this is one of the most predictable programs in the US. The accreditation program had experienced much growth than when it was just a hospital while encompassing over 400 acute care hospitals, laboratories, and critical access hospitals (HFAP.com, 2020). Other than general hospitals, the program provides accreditation services to ambulatory care and office-based surgery, ambulatory surgical centers, and behavioral and mental health facilities. HFAP partners with AAAHC and AAHHS hence providing more comprehensive accreditation programs to its clients while eliminating the need to have accreditation with several firms.

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One of the benefits of choosing HFAP is that its mission is to advance patient safety and high-quality patient care via the objective application of required standards. Also, the program's standards meet or exceed the clients offering Medicaid and Medicare service, whereby they work closely to execute the purpose. Another benefit is that the program is very predictable in terms of services and standards hence covering most community hospitals. A benefit for both patient and hospital is that the program focus on patient treatment, patient safety, environment safety, and quality improvement (HFAP.com, 2020). Lastly, the program surveyors are focused on the real-world clinical basis because they are picked from volunteers. HFAP's costs are also very predictable, depending on the coverage and size of a hospital. Hospitals pay a one-time registration fee for triennial. The institution also reimburses the direct costs of the survey, and the costs of the survey are also based on the number of surveyors involved. HFAP provides free online manual access to information of a PDF.

Det Norske Veritas Healthcare (DNVHC)

DNVHC is another accreditation program that has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The programs’ mission is to safeguard property, life, and environment. The program uses a model focused on controlling costs and quality as well as providing sustainability and improvement. The program encompassed at least 370 acute care hospitals before its registration from its former Norwegian hospital (DNVHC.com, 2020). DNVHC also offers services for critical access facilities and provide certification in the management of disease programs for comprehensive and primary stroke centers. Pioneer hospitals often seek this program for the survey, and the service is done once a year.

One of the benefits to the organization is that DNVHC allows facilities to be innovative because it encourages best practices and offers prescriptive standards. Facilities that have used this program states that they see improvement in their hospitals, especially advanced communication between leaders. The program provides the hospitals with leeway hence enabling them to attain compliance and avoid the hurry to correct deficiencies that may not be sustainable. A benefit for patients is that the program encourages hospitals to develop individualized programs to account for patient safety. This goal helps the hospitals to stay accountable to the patients' health and recovery progress. DNVHC also plants the accreditation culture in hospitals to attend to hence helping them maintain and keep the required standards. The facility also holds the hospitals responsible for keeping account of the required standards of CMS CoPs.

The costs of DNVHC are classified into two categories which are survey costs and preparation costs. Preparation costs cover human resources and standard manuals. Human resources, in this case, are surveyors needed to do the operation. Accreditation processes and guidelines are downloaded online for free (DNVHC.com, 2020). Survey costs are based on the size and length of the survey. The costs also cover the complexity of the process, type of survey conducted, and the presence of special care units.

Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ)

This is the third-best suggestion for the accreditation program. The program has more 360 hospitals and other facilities (CIHQ.com, 2020). Its mission is the creation of a regulatory environment that evaluates healthcare firms to deliver quality and safe patient care safely. The program aims at shaping the regulatory environment and accreditation by working alongside CMS in the establishment of regulations and standards. It also advises its clients on changes available in regulation and standards hence impacting their organizations. CIHQ also helps its associates determine its compliance in alignment with CMS and standards. As of 2017, CIHQ had achieved 37 hospital accreditation.

Several benefits are available for accessing CIHQ services. Some of those is access to survey and standards procedures, monthly audio conferences concerning procedures of the surveys alongside question and answers, free attendance of CIHQ annual quality and accreditation summit and access to the library on the web alongside links to the healthcare regulations (CIHQ.com, 2020). Also, the hospitals benefit from free notification of various changes in CMS and standards regulations. Survey costs are paid in three installments within a year according to the annual schedule, and the surveyor travel expenses are included. The survey cost is based on the length of the process, number of beds, number of anesthesia services providing sites, and the number of surveyors. For focused surveys are done without a fee except for travel expenses paid by the facility involved.

References

CIHQ.com. (2020). The center for improvement in healthcare quality: Welcome to CIHQ! https://www.cihq.org/

DNVHC.com. (2020). DNV GL - Healthcare | DNV GL - Healthcare. DNV GL - Healthcare | DNV GL - Healthcare. https://www.dnvglhealthcare.com/portal?type=page&obj_id=55bbd97e5e8eef2b9f883f64

HFAP.com. (2020). HFAP. https://www.hfap.org/