The Joint Commission has recently issued a set of FAQs regarding the use of unlicensed persons as scribes and how the organization's standards address this practice. It is worthwhile to take a look at exactly what the accrediting body has to say about this frequently misunderstood issue.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 8
There are certain requirements and regulatory factors that pose perpetual challenges for hospitals, familiar burdens that elicit nods of understanding and sympathy when organizations discuss the barriers to successfully keeping themselves in compliance. The recently relaxed "30-minute rule" from...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 8
In 1985 I was working in the corporate public relations office for a Fortune 100 company. It was an environment right out of the Dilbert comic strip-except that Dilbert had not been invented yet, so it wasn't all that funny. After a year, a grizzled veteran of several corporate tours pulled me...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 8
Hospitals should be aware of several important changes that were published in the May 16 Federal Register, effective July 16. CMS has made more than two dozen changes to the hospital Conditions of Participation (CoP), for which it will publish interpretive guidelines at a later date.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 8
In 2011, AHAP reported that accreditation professionals and survey coordinators saw a marginal uptick in salaries. After a dismal 2010, 6% fewer professionals received no increase between 2010 and 2011. How did accreditation professionals fare leading into 2012?
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 7
The range of accreditation options is wider than it's ever been. Hospitals and healthcare systems have more options to weigh than ever before. During his presentation at the 2012 Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals Conference in Orlando, Fla., Gregory Finch, system director...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 7
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)-a longtime accrediting body for ambulatory facilities-has announced that it will enter the hospital accreditation space with its new hospital systems program.
The program will be offered through the...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 7
Part of AHAP's role as an accreditation specialist network is to provide survey coordinators the chance to swap stories about recent surveys. Part of this is for curiosity's sake-what was your surveyor like? What was the tone of the visit? But it is also a chance to try to find a way to predict...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 7
The Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) is often called "the quiet accreditor." One of the small group of organizations granted deeming authority by CMS to accredit hospitals, HFAP has been a part of the healthcare accreditation landscape for over 60 years. But, much like its...
