Accreditation for healthcare facilities is a daily operating framework that requires an ongoing commitment to the highest standards of care and patient safety.
One of the most valuable aspects of accreditation with QUAD A is that our standards will inform your daily clinical, safety, and administrative decisions. They create a structure for your facility that goes far beyond simply preparing for your initial survey and achieving your accreditation certificate.
Enforcing the Highest Clinical Standards
QUAD A’s accreditation programs are based on the highest clinical standards that are established and vetted by experts in the healthcare community. These standards form the foundation for each of QUAD A’s tailor-made programs for various healthcare specialties, from Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to pediatric dentistry offices and MedSpas.
Throughout the QUAD A accreditation process, facilities will learn to incorporate these stringent standards into their daily routine, which is a requirement to maintain accreditation, and an opportunity to enhance clinical outcomes every single day.
This commitment is reinforced through ongoing annual self-surveys and on-site resurveys every three years. This approach makes accreditation a standard that facilities strive to meet daily, year after year.
Creating a Culture of Safety
Learning how to deliver safe care for patients is a critical part of achieving accreditation. Ongoing patient safety is achieved through the diligent repetition of those safe practices, every day.
The ongoing process of accreditation helps turn these best practices for patient safety into daily practice. Ongoing staff training, documentation reviews, and oversight by facility leadership reinforce compliance as part of proactive routines.
As part of the ongoing commitment to patient safety, many facilities accredited with QUAD A will participate in our Patient Safety Data Reporting (PSDR) program. Each quarter, participating facilities will submit data from a sample of cases for each surgeon and proceduralist.
The PSDR reporting process empowers the identification of safety trends that are affecting patient populations globally. For the participating facilities, this process enforces a system-wide culture of accountability to patient safety and clinical quality.
Building Risk-reduction Into Operations
Healthcare operations involve many potential risks, from clinical procedures to facility workflows and infrastructure.
Without structured processes in place, those risks can lead to operational challenges or adverse events. When facilities integrate risk mitigation into their daily workflows, many risks can be reduced or altogether avoided before problems occur.
The continuous accreditation process helps healthcare facilities proactively identify gaps at every level of their business. By identifying those gaps before adverse events occur, accredited facilities can improve their processes to minimize regulatory and operational vulnerabilities.
Enhancing Operational Efficiency
For healthcare facilities of all specialties, operational efficiency hinges on clarity. Clarity of policies, roles and responsibilities, and processes pave the way for more consistent operations on every level, from the delivery of care to administration.
The process of accreditation embeds standards into daily practice to improve operational efficiency every day. These standards explicitly define policies to reduce the risk of misinterpretation and outline consistent processes to reduce variability in the delivery of care.
Accreditation standards also help facilities clearly define roles and responsibilities for critical staff members. This creates a framework that streamlines communication and strengthens team alignment at all levels of the organization.
Earning Long-Term Credibility
Today’s patients have a wealth of choices when they’re seeking care. A healthcare facility’s credibility can be a major competitive advantage in attracting discerning patients. The accreditation process builds that credibility and trust.
Accredited facilities demonstrate a sustained commitment to the highest standards of care and patient safety. Doing the daily work to enforce clinical excellence, establishes a culture of safety, risk-reduction, and efficient operations that can have a profound impact on a facility’s credibility with current and prospective patients alike.
A 2021 study puts that credibility into perspective. Patients reported that compared to unaccredited facilities, accredited facilities were more trustworthy (+79% perception), and that the care they offer is safe (+80%) and high quality (+82%).1 One patient stated simply: “Accreditation certainly means accountability. And accountability for me means trust.”1
Build Patient Trust, Every Day
For healthcare facilities that are committed to doing the work every day, accreditation can be a rewarding journey. The accreditation process builds a framework for clinical, administrative, and operational enhancements into every-day practice.
QUAD A makes it simple to take the first step on your accreditation journey. Our collaborative approach provides practices with support along the way, from preparing for your initial on-site survey to the daily reinforcement of accreditation standards.
Learn more about the benefits of accreditation, and take the first step with QUAD A: https://www.quada.org/
Source:
1. Verve. (2021) Patient Journey Final Report. Unpublished internal QUAD A report; 2021.
