The Benefits of Outsourcing for Hospital Accreditation

Hospital accreditation is the most intensive accreditation process for medical providers, repeats more frequently than other accreditation standards, and involves more organization contacts and supporting documents. The amount of staff time and expense to investigate each medical provider can be high, draining resources from other administrative functions and requiring experienced staff and access to investigative resources. However, hospitals have taken longer than other medical organizations to outsource the accreditation process, despite the potential benefits: faster turnaround time, cost effectiveness, and savings in staff time and training.

Hospital accreditation covers the deepest questions of any accreditation standard, from medical school to a provider’s entire career. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) creates manuals that describe the accreditation processes for all the different medical providers within an institution. Prohibited areas must be verified to meet JCAHO standards. This involves direct contact with the provider’s partner organizations, as well as receiving copies of all certificates and licences. All of these areas should be checked:

• DEA certificates
• All state licenses and penalties
• Malpractice insurance and claim history
• Training, internships and residencies
• Board Certifications
• medical education
• All past and current hospital privileges
• Work history (verified through direct contact)
• Medicare Penalties or Exclusion Options
• peer referrals

Both the results of the contact and the supporting documentation are compiled to create a final profile report for the provider, which is submitted to the accreditation committee for review. Any warning signs or previous problems with the provider should be specifically brought to the attention of the committee.

Most hospitals still perform accreditation verification in-house. If they have full access to the information resources and money and man-hours available to dedicate staff, as well as having the experienced staff to do so, in-house accreditation can be as quick and comprehensive as outsourcing. Most hospitals either don’t have those resources or need to allocate those resources elsewhere. Additionally, hospitals are responsible for any errors or oversights made during the accreditation process, and those errors may affect the results of future audits, which may result in reprimands or penalties.

Credentialing Verification Organizations (CVOs) allow hospitals to outsource the credentialing process for all medical providers, such as physicians, respiratory therapists, X-ray technicians, nurses, and mental health specialists. CVOs dedicate resources and training to accreditation, which means staff are experienced, meet appropriate standards, and have access to verification resources. Hospitals can better utilize their staff and finances, while reducing hospital liability for errors. Additionally, CVOs can offer support services in addition to accreditation, which can make managing audits, license renewals, and other processes more efficient.

There are minimum services that CVOs must offer to hospitals:

• Compliance with JCAHO regulations.
• Minimum number of contact and organization attempts.
• Adapt processes to incorporate hospital requests and specialized information requirements.
• Completed profiles with no unverified sections.
• Improved turnaround time, typically within 60 days.
• Prompt committee notification for problem files.
• Quick response to questions or problems.
• Web access to profile reports and verification documentation, as well as hard copies.

Quality CVOs offer other beneficial, resource-intensive services for hospitals:

• Surveillance between an initial accreditation process and the first accreditation process for any disciplinary action or sanction.
• Routine notification for reaccreditation and expiration of terms.
• Assistance during internal or external audits.
• Training and consulting for internal accreditation.

Using a CVO for medical provider accreditation saves hospitals staff time, money, and resources, and also offers support services, such as audit support and monitoring of providers for sanctions or issues, even after completion of accreditation. accreditation, which a hospital may not be able to maintain. internally. Hospital accreditation standards are the most stringent and detailed of the medical provider accreditation standards. CVOs can remove the burden of meeting those standards for hospitals through resources, expertise, and dedicated support services.