ACHC Marks 20th Year

RALEIGH, N.C.–Having grown from one accreditation program in
one state to 10 programs with accredited companies in all 50 U.S.
states, Puerto Rico and Guam, the Accreditation Commission for
Health Care turns 20 this year.

In recent years, the organization has introduced accreditation
programs for specialty pharmacy, fitter services, rehabilitation
technology supplier services, medical supply provider services and
respiratory nebulizer medication programs, according to ACHC
President Tom Cesar.

“ACHC has also answered the question ‘who accredits the
accreditor’ by having the distinction of being the only accrediting
body certified to [the International Organization for
Standardization] 9001:2000,” Cesar said. “Part of our vision is to
do things in a new way for accreditation that will improve the
delivery of care and service for the consumer and also be a more
effective way for the businessperson to run the business and become
more profitable.”

For ACHC, that means continuing the development of a hybrid
accreditation standard that combines ACHC’s own standards with
ISO’s, said Cesar. A beta test of the hybrid was completed last
year (see HomeCare,
“Katrina! What Went Right,” Oct. 2005).

“The underpinning of ISO is a quality management system for
excellence in customer service, and that’s what we’re trying to
achieve,” Cesar said. “We believe that in time the hybrid will
prove to be something that’s going to evolve into a new way of
doing things.”

According to a recent HomeCare survey, the accreditation
business shouldn’t be letting up anytime soon. Fifty-five percent
of providers participating in HomeCare’s “2006 Forecast
Survey” said their organizations were not currently accredited, and
56 percent of those said they plan to apply within the next 12
months. (For more information, see HomeCare,
“2006 Forecast,” Dec. 2005.)