In June, the newest Laser Spine Institute facility, located in Philadelphia, achieved accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). The facility worked from day one toward the accreditation survey and achieved full accreditation three months after opening, says Laser Spine Institute's Senior Vice President of Medical Operations Dotty Bollinger. The other two Laser Spine Institute locations in Tampa, Fla. and Scottsdale, Ariz. were previously accredited. For each survey, the facilities prepared for three to nine months for the actual evaluation.
Ms. Bollinger talks about her experience with the accreditation process and offers eight tips for facilities considering accreditation or going through the accreditation process.
1. Research accreditors. Begin by researching the different ASC accreditors and decide which agency fits best with the facility's goals and environment. At the same time, organizations should collaborate with peer groups and talk to others going through the accreditation process, suggests Ms. Bollinger.
2. Create a diverse accreditation team. When creating a team to research and oversee the accreditation process, Ms. Bollinger suggests gathering members from throughout the organization, including both management and physicians. "Throughout accreditation, we involved the entire team," she says. "We made sure we had people from all levels participating. It wouldn't be a meaningful process without that," says Bollinger. "The team should create a process for doing internal audits and benchmarking as well as managing the evaluation execution plans. We really broke the standards down. We divided and conquered."
3. Attend an accreditation training conference. Ms. Bollinger says the information received during the AAAHC conference on accreditation was helpful in planning for the accreditation process.
4. Ingrain meeting the standards in daily operations. An organization must have a proven history of compliance with accreditation standards, which requires understanding and work from all organization members. Training the staff in accreditation standards is important because accreditation is an ongoing process after the initial survey, which means organizations can be evaluated at any time. "We went through the planning process and made it real to our staff. It became what we thought about all the time," says Ms. Bollinger. "The standards that are set forth by the accrediting body are our standards."
5. Study actual needs. In order to achieve accreditation, the organization must conduct a self-analysis and should investigate and implement improvement methods for any weaknesses identified. "An organization can really benefit from the study because it can have meaningful outcomes," says Ms. Bollinger. This process can be a difficult and time-consuming step in the process, but is a critical one.
6. Conduct a mock survey. In order to prepare for the survey, Ms. Bollinger suggests ASCs conduct mock surveys in order to prepare for the experience. Simulating the survey process and applying the standards in real situations in the ASC can help highlight issues the organization still needs to improve as well as give staff members an understanding of how the survey process will work. Knowledge and experience is important for organizations during the actual survey.
7. Celebrate. Ms. Bollinger says it is important for organizations to celebrate their success and their team members' individual successes. After receiving accreditation, Ms. Bollinger says the Laser Spine Institute threw a party for their employees. The celebration helps employees stay motivated for the next accreditation survey.
8. Maintain accreditation. Once the initial evaluation has ended, the organization must continue to meet accreditation standards. "Getting accredited is only the first step," says Ms. Bollinger. In order to maintain enthusiasm for compliance with AAAHC standards, Ms. Bollinger says members of Laser Spine Institute wear buttons prompting patients to ask about AAAHC accreditation. "It's a great way of selling the importance of holding high standards to the customer," says Ms. Bollinger. "We have a great sense of pride about being accredited."
Learn more about Laser Spine Institute.
Read other Becker's coverage on accreditation.
Banking Meltdown Sets New Limits on Accessing Capital for ASC Development
CMS Imaging Accreditation Decision Allows Continued Self-Referral
AAAHC Institute Releases Three Quality Studies For Common Outpatient Procedures
Ms. Bollinger talks about her experience with the accreditation process and offers eight tips for facilities considering accreditation or going through the accreditation process.
1. Research accreditors. Begin by researching the different ASC accreditors and decide which agency fits best with the facility's goals and environment. At the same time, organizations should collaborate with peer groups and talk to others going through the accreditation process, suggests Ms. Bollinger.
2. Create a diverse accreditation team. When creating a team to research and oversee the accreditation process, Ms. Bollinger suggests gathering members from throughout the organization, including both management and physicians. "Throughout accreditation, we involved the entire team," she says. "We made sure we had people from all levels participating. It wouldn't be a meaningful process without that," says Bollinger. "The team should create a process for doing internal audits and benchmarking as well as managing the evaluation execution plans. We really broke the standards down. We divided and conquered."
3. Attend an accreditation training conference. Ms. Bollinger says the information received during the AAAHC conference on accreditation was helpful in planning for the accreditation process.
4. Ingrain meeting the standards in daily operations. An organization must have a proven history of compliance with accreditation standards, which requires understanding and work from all organization members. Training the staff in accreditation standards is important because accreditation is an ongoing process after the initial survey, which means organizations can be evaluated at any time. "We went through the planning process and made it real to our staff. It became what we thought about all the time," says Ms. Bollinger. "The standards that are set forth by the accrediting body are our standards."
5. Study actual needs. In order to achieve accreditation, the organization must conduct a self-analysis and should investigate and implement improvement methods for any weaknesses identified. "An organization can really benefit from the study because it can have meaningful outcomes," says Ms. Bollinger. This process can be a difficult and time-consuming step in the process, but is a critical one.
6. Conduct a mock survey. In order to prepare for the survey, Ms. Bollinger suggests ASCs conduct mock surveys in order to prepare for the experience. Simulating the survey process and applying the standards in real situations in the ASC can help highlight issues the organization still needs to improve as well as give staff members an understanding of how the survey process will work. Knowledge and experience is important for organizations during the actual survey.
7. Celebrate. Ms. Bollinger says it is important for organizations to celebrate their success and their team members' individual successes. After receiving accreditation, Ms. Bollinger says the Laser Spine Institute threw a party for their employees. The celebration helps employees stay motivated for the next accreditation survey.
8. Maintain accreditation. Once the initial evaluation has ended, the organization must continue to meet accreditation standards. "Getting accredited is only the first step," says Ms. Bollinger. In order to maintain enthusiasm for compliance with AAAHC standards, Ms. Bollinger says members of Laser Spine Institute wear buttons prompting patients to ask about AAAHC accreditation. "It's a great way of selling the importance of holding high standards to the customer," says Ms. Bollinger. "We have a great sense of pride about being accredited."
Learn more about Laser Spine Institute.
Read other Becker's coverage on accreditation.
Banking Meltdown Sets New Limits on Accessing Capital for ASC Development
CMS Imaging Accreditation Decision Allows Continued Self-Referral
AAAHC Institute Releases Three Quality Studies For Common Outpatient Procedures