Accreditation Commission for Health Care

The Accreditation Commission for Health Care, commonly known as ACHC, is a United States-based nonprofit health care accrediting organization. It evaluates health care providers and suppliers against defined quality, safety, operational, and patient-care standards. Its accreditation can provide an external assessment of an organization’s systems and, for programs recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), may support participation in applicable federal health care programs. ACHC was created in 1985 by home health care providers who wanted an accreditation alternative more closely aligned with the needs of smaller organizations. The initiative began in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the organization was incorporated in August 1986. Its first accreditation was awarded in January 1987. Initially focused on creating a practical accreditation route for home care organizations, ACHC expanded its reach nationally in 1996. The organization’s scope now covers a broad range of health care settings. Its listed programs include acute care hospitals, ambulatory care, ambulatory surgery centers, assisted living, behavioral health, clinical laboratories, critical access hospitals, dentistry, durable medical equipment and related supplies, private-duty home care, home health, home infusion therapy, hospice, office-based surgery, palliative care, pharmacy, renal dialysis, sleep services, and compounding pharmacy through the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) program. ACHC distinguishes between accreditation programs with different review cycles. Laboratory accreditation follows a two-year cycle, while the other programs identified in the organization’s published overview generally follow three-year cycles. The review process is intended to assess whether an organization has appropriate governance, clinical practices, documentation, quality-improvement systems, and operational controls for its service area. Federal recognition has been an important part of ACHC’s development. CMS approved ACHC in November 2006 to accredit suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies under Medicare Part B quality standards. CMS also granted ACHC initial home health deeming authority in February 2006 and announced continued deeming authority in January 2009, with the cited continuation running through 2015. In November 2009, CMS recognized ACHC as a national accreditation organization for hospices seeking participation in Medicare. ACHC moved its headquarters to Cary, North Carolina, in early 2013. That period also included the arrival of José Domingos as chief executive officer and the launch of ACHC’s behavioral health accreditation program. The organization positions itself as an alternative to larger accreditation bodies, including The Joint Commission and the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), while retaining a focus on the operational realities of community-based and smaller providers. Its present role is best understood as specialized professional accreditation and compliance support rather than direct delivery of medical care.

ACHC originated in a need identified by home health care providers for an accreditation body that would offer an alternative to established organizations and address the circumstances of smaller providers. The initiative was established in 1985 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The organization was incorporated in August 1986, and it awarded accreditation to its first organization in January 1987. During its early period, ACHC’s work centered on home care and related community-based services. Its model provided an external review of provider operations and quality systems, allowing organizations to demonstrate conformity with defined standards. The organization later broadened its geographic reach, beginning national operations in 1996. Regulatory recognition expanded ACHC’s role in the U.S. health care system. CMS granted initial home health deeming authority in February 2006. In November of that year, CMS approved ACHC to accredit DMEPOS suppliers under the quality standards associated with Medicare Part B. These developments extended ACHC’s work beyond traditional home health accreditation into supplier oversight and federally relevant compliance assessment. In January 2009, CMS announced continued deeming authority for ACHC-accredited home health agencies through 2015. Later that year, on November 27, CMS recognized ACHC as a national accreditation organization for hospices seeking participation in Medicare. The CMS actions established a regulatory dimension to ACHC accreditation while leaving the organization’s broader work focused on provider quality and operational performance. ACHC continued to add service categories. Its program portfolio came to include acute care hospitals, ambulatory services, ambulatory surgery centers, assisted living, behavioral health, clinical laboratories, critical access hospitals, dentistry, DMEPOS, private-duty home care, home health, home infusion therapy, hospice, office-based surgery, palliative care, pharmacy, renal dialysis, sleep services, and compounding pharmacy accreditation through PCAB. The organization identifies nineteen accreditation programs in total, with nine described as CMS approved: acute care hospital, ambulatory surgery center, clinical laboratory, critical access hospital, DMEPOS, home health, home infusion therapy, hospice, and renal dialysis. In early 2013, ACHC moved its headquarters to Cary, North Carolina. The same period brought José Domingos into the chief executive role and saw the launch of a behavioral health program. These developments reflected continued institutional expansion and a widening of the provider types served. ACHC uses different review cycles according to program type. Laboratory accreditation is conducted on a two-year cycle, while the other programs identified in its overview use three-year cycles. Across its portfolio, the organization’s function is to assess providers and suppliers against standards covering quality, safety, governance, clinical operations, documentation, and improvement processes. ACHC remains a U.S.-focused nonprofit accrediting organization and is positioned as an alternative to The Joint Commission and CHAP rather than as a health care delivery company.

• 2013

  Headquarters move and behavioral health launch

  [1]Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org

  ACHC relocates its headquarters to Cary, North Carolina, appoints José Domingos as CEO, and launches behavioral health accreditation.

• 2009

  Hospice accreditation recognition

  [1]Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org

  CMS recognizes ACHC as a national accreditation organization for hospices seeking Medicare participation.

• 2006

  CMS recognition expands

  [1]Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org

  CMS grants ACHC home health deeming authority and approves it to accredit DMEPOS suppliers.

• 1996

  National expansion

  [1]Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org

  ACHC begins offering its services nationally.

• 1987

  First accreditation awarded

  [1]Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org

  ACHC awards accreditation to its first organization in January.

• 1986

  Organization is incorporated

  [1]Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org

  ACHC is incorporated in August in North Carolina.

• 1985

  ACHC is established

  [1]Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org

  Home health care providers establish ACHC to create an accreditation alternative oriented toward smaller providers.

A nonprofit, provider-oriented alternative to major health care accreditation organizations, with a stated historical emphasis on practical standards and the needs of smaller and community-based providers.

• Health care accreditation

  Home Health Accreditation

  Accreditation for organizations providing skilled health services in patients’ homes. The program assesses the provider’s clinical, administrative, quality-improvement, and compliance systems and has been associated with ACHC’s CMS home health deeming authority.

• Health care accreditation

  Hospice Accreditation

  A specialized accreditation program for hospice organizations. ACHC was recognized by CMS in 2009 as a national accreditation organization for hospices seeking participation in Medicare.

• Health care accreditation

  Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation

  Accreditation for organizations that deliver infusion therapies in home and community settings. Reviews address the systems required to coordinate clinical care, medication handling, patient safety, and service operations.

• Supplier accreditation · 2006

  DMEPOS Accreditation

  Accreditation for suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies. CMS approved ACHC for this function in 2006 under Medicare Part B quality standards.

• Laboratory accreditation

  Clinical Laboratory Accreditation

  A laboratory-focused accreditation program covering the quality and operational controls of clinical testing organizations. ACHC identifies laboratory accreditation as following a two-year review cycle rather than the three-year cycle used for its other programs.

• Behavioral health accreditation · 2013

  Behavioral Health Accreditation

  An accreditation program for behavioral health organizations introduced in 2013. It extends ACHC’s portfolio into mental health and related behavioral care settings.

• Pharmacy accreditation

  Pharmacy and PCAB Compounding Accreditation

  Accreditation offerings for pharmacies and compounding operations, including the PCAB program. The programs evaluate operational, quality, and patient-safety systems relevant to pharmacy services.

• 2013

  Launch behavioral health accreditationProduct launch

  Background

  ACHC was expanding beyond its historical home-care focus into additional health care settings.

  Action taken

  The organization launched a behavioral health accreditation program.

  Aftermath

  Behavioral health became one of the service categories covered by ACHC’s broader accreditation portfolio.

  Source

• 2009

  Extend accreditation role into hospice participationStrategy

  Background

  ACHC was seeking a broader role in accreditation programs connected with Medicare participation.

  Action taken

  CMS recognized ACHC as a national accreditation organization for hospices seeking Medicare participation.

  Aftermath

  Hospice became an additional federally recognized area within ACHC’s accreditation portfolio.

  Source

• 2006

  Expand into CMS-recognized supplier accreditationStrategy

  Background

  ACHC had developed from a home-care accreditation initiative and was broadening its role across the health care services ecosystem.

  Action taken

  CMS approved ACHC to accredit DMEPOS suppliers under Medicare Part B quality standards.

  Aftermath

  The approval added federally relevant supplier accreditation to ACHC’s portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Accreditation Commission for Health Careen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Accreditation Commission for Health Care official websiteachc.org