Applying for and beginning your accreditation journey is simple. The following steps
will bring you into a supportive, collaborative system that will keep you on track,
allow for real time interaction with support technicians and bring you and your
business into a level of quality that is designed by YOU.
Description of the HQAA, Inc. Application and Accreditation Process
In making the decision as to which
accreditor to align with and to trust, one has to believe that informed
decisions are made throughout the way. It is important to fully understand and
assume responsibility to start, implement and complete the journey knowing what
lies before you.
As has been shared before in
previous month’s blogs about the HQAA process, the “application” is the first
step of the journey, not the beginning of the final leg. It begins with filling
out the application page found on this home page under “Click Here to Apply”.
The application with HQAA is the discovery phase of your organization. Here,
information is collected that is used to determine the most appropriate sets of
standards, your specific company information, your specific ID numbers, and your
company description. This information is captured to not only report many of
these items to CMS, but to then create your Workroom, or manual of standards to
work through.
The HQAA “application” is, as I’ve
stated, your first step on a journey. It is NOT an indication that you are ready
for your survey. This becomes apparent as soon as the “submit” button is clicked
on the application. The accreditation coach makes immediate contact and informs
each customer of the expectations. The Q-torial video found within the Workroom
clearly identifies the expectations and responsibilities of both the
organization and the coaches.
Once the application is submitted,
an on-line Workroom is created individually for your organization, and an
accreditation coach is assigned. The purpose of the Workroom phase is to assist
in preparing your policies, procedures and processes to meet compliance with the
mandated Quality Standards. Coaches assist to ensure that all components
critical to the Quality Standards are contained in your written, documented
structure. They do this with you one document at a time. The policy
design/implementation phase is secondary to the implementation of that which you
say you do on paper is what is actually performed by all employees within your
organization.
This implementation phase of the
journey is one that is critical to a successful on-site survey. Surveyors need
to observe that the processes surrounding the Quality Standards are woven in to
the fabric of your organization. Three months of implementation is necessary in
order to validate that the company is in compliance.
The site survey is observing the
action of “where the rubber meets the road”. It is allowing the surveyor the
opportunity to validate that all required processes are taking place, that all
mandated requirements surrounding the management of Medicare beneficiaries
occur, that employees are all aware of the need to follow through consistently
with these processes, and that meaningful information is collected in order to
make consistent improvements to the management of all these processes within the
organization. The survey is not the “end” of the process, but it is one of the
final legs of the journey.
The successful outcome of the
survey is a litmus test as to the implementation phase. The outcome can result
in a minimal written post-survey outcomes report, a recommendation for a focused
re-visit to observe demonstrated improvements in specific areas, or a complete
second full survey. This second full survey is an indication that significant
numbers of processes/actions have not been implemented and the organization is
allowed time to ensure that they are. A second complete survey is conducted in
order to validate that improvement. Following acceptance of the follow-up
report, the organization’s accomplishments are brought before a formal review
committee for approval of the accreditation award. HQAA notifies all customers
within 24 hours that their award has been approved.
Now enter this final crunch in the
timeline for achieving accreditation. There have been countless articles,
advertisements, presentations, statements and forums from CMS, blogs, tweets and
really, an information overload that has been presented for no less than 2 years
identifying the need to “get accredited”. Entering in to the arena of
accreditation at the last phase of time allowable has not diminished the level
of responsibility that the organization has to the diligence of accomplishing
all the requirements. CMS promoted a deadline of sorts in order to jumpstart the
last segment of the industry to getting on board with the accreditation mandate.
The deadline that was presented,
that of January 31 of this year, was intended to be a deadline to say to your
accreditor that you are “ready for survey”. That deadline within the HQAA
process, as hundreds of customers learned, was one that said, “I’m ready to
begin the documentation, planning, perfecting and implementation phase; all
PRIOR to survey. It was for that reason that HQAA allowed another deadline of
completion of the Workroom portion by March 15th (an internal extension of the
1-31 deadline) to be guaranteed survey in time for accreditation to occur.
I’ve spoken of accreditation as a
journey. The complete and overall process is really a first step in and of
itself. Accreditation is not the end; it is the means in which an organization
says to itself, its community, and its customers that you have developed a
conscientiousness that will carry your company in to the future, and to identify
to your customers that you adhere to a set of best practices that focus on their
treatment and care. I believe wholeheartedly that there is not any other segment
of the healthcare continuum that cares any more deeply for their patients that
the home care industry. It is for the same reasons that I also know that those
that adhered to the HQAA deadlines set will meet the “big” deadline set for
September 30.
As always, our Quality Assistance Center is here to answer your questions
about this process. Call 866.909.4722 for more information.www.bitesizeaccreditation.com is also a resource for
fact-finding!
Our appreciation will be demonstrated to you through
our commitment to the accreditation process and your company’s improvement.
Click here to start your Application with HQAA
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