GHP November 2017 - Texas A&M

32 GHP / November 2017 , 1703GH06 Improving the Health Care of Patients Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) is an independent, internationally recognized health care accrediting body. The organisation is focused on helping providers demonstrate compliance with applicable standards of practice and care. We spoke with ACHC President and CEO José Domingos to find out more about ACHC’s compliance solutions. Formed in 1986, ACHC is based in Cary, North Carolina, USA. Its compliance programmes are approved by international government agencies as well as healthcare payors. Having maintained International Organization of Standards (ISO) certification since 2007, ACHC utilises its contacts across a broad network of health professions and organisations to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to provide compliance verification, education, and consultation. ACHC’s José Domingos tells us about ACHC’s evolution and its varied healthcare compliance solutions. “Originally focused on community- based care in home health, hospice, private duty nursing and durable medical equipment (DME)/pharmacy, ACHC has expanded to include institutional- based settings both in the US as well as internationally,” said Mr. Domingos. “ACHC accredits more pharmacy locations than any accreditor in the US and also provides accreditation services for providers in behavioural health, sleep and ambulatory care. ACHC’s Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) is recognised as the gold standard of accreditation for compounding pharmacies, currently listing more than 650 accredited locations in the US and Canada.” Managed care organisations, government policymakers and others charged with improving the health care journeys of patients have found value in ACHC’s pharmacy compliance solutions. “ACHC accreditation offers innovative solutions that effectively address cost avoidance, patient access, and customer needs and expectations,” said Mr. Domingos. “ACHC has the most accredited specialty pharmacies in the industry, with standards that require adherence, medication management and ongoing performance improvement.” Similarly, PCAB accredits the compounding industry’s largest network of pharmacies. PCAB’s customisable standards ensure adherence to United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP 795, 797 and 800 – for non-sterile compounding, sterile compounding, and hazardous drug handling, respectively) and include ongoing performance improvement, along with annual verification of compliance. Endorsement and recognition by the US Government Accountability Office, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Medical Innovation Impact Index, The American College of Rheumatology, and The American Association of Equine Practitioners as well as endorsements from varied clinical and trade organisations, speak to the recognition PCAB enjoys from stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers both for its relevance as well as its effectiveness helping to address a significant area of concern within the public health domain. ACHC and PCAB are industry leaders in customer service, with relevant standards that are validated by ISO, national government regulators and payors. Aimed at improving patient outcomes, ACHC’s standards are robust and customisable in order to meet the unique needs of varied payor plans, Mr. Domingos explains. “As an independent accreditation organisation, ACHC supports the network credentialing process by ensuring the pedigree of pharmacies through a comprehensive organisational review and an on-site survey. ACHC’s Distinction programmes allow for an additional point of validation, ensuring the capability and commitment to continuous improvement of accredited pharmacies. Designed as add-on options for ACHC-accredited organisations, these Distinctions allow providers to demonstrate a higher level of specialisation and commitment to quality. Just as ACHC was the first to offer an accreditation in specialty pharmacy, it was the first to offer Distinctions for specific disease states aimed at improving patient outcomes while highlighting those providers that possess the necessary capabilities to treat these patients. “In 2016 we launched the industry’s first programme with a focus on Oncology. We followed that with three additional accreditation Distinctions: one for HIV, one for Palliative Care and one for Hazardous Drug Handling.” Mr. Domingos added that “with a continued focus on the improvement of health care practice and policy, you can expect to see additional innovations in our programming.” “Collaboration with other organizations has had a tremendous influence on our growth,” said Mr. Domingos. “Not only have these relationships helped us identify market