Every successful organization needs a comprehensive, carefully planned, effective risk management program; one that not only focuses on risks related to finances, insurance levels, human resource practices, etc., but includes a thorough review of information and technology management risks. This is true whether an organization is seeking accreditation or not, as there is always risk involved when talking about technology. One component to help control risk and plan for future organizational growth is the development of a formal written information … Continue reading
All Accreditation
Options for Complying with the New Joint Commission Outcome Measures Standard
If you’re like most of the treatment providers we’ve talked to recently, you probably have heard of the new Joint Commission behavioral healthcare standard for patient-reported outcomes, but haven’t yet determined the best way to comply. This article provides some background on both the standard and your options. Let’s start by discussing why the Joint Commission created this standard. Extensive research over the past 20 years has shown that the process of regularly asking patients how they’re feeling and sharing … Continue reading
Pro-active Measures to Keep Cyber Criminals Out
I have the perfect 100% guarantee to protect your information systems from ANY cyber-attack. You will pay me handsomely for my solution too. Here it is: Cut the power cord on your PC and bury everything in concrete. Problem solved! Ha, hack that hackers! Although this drastic measure is theoretically effective, it’s obviously a non-starter. However, the idea does illustrate a greater and more important point: if your systems are powered up and connected in some way to the Internet, … Continue reading
National Accreditation – Where Do We Begin?
Often when people are approaching the accreditation process for the first time, they find the number of steps involved overwhelming and are unclear where to start. If you are able to break it down into seven key steps, the accreditation journey can be much smoother and easier to approach. Choose an accreditor There are a number of factors to consider when selecting an accrediting body, including the fit with accreditation requirements, time necessary to become accredited, costs, etc. Details may … Continue reading
Getting Your Board on Board for Accreditation
Organizations with a corporate governing board (whether a nonprofit’s board of directors or a for-profit’s board of advisors/trustees), should be sure to actively include this group in the run-up to national accreditation. I have often said that having a leadership team embrace the importance of accreditation will not guarantee a successful outcome, but if leadership does not support accreditation, then you are guaranteed to have problems. This correlation extends to board members. One should present the benefits of accreditation and … Continue reading
Electronic Record Systems and Accreditation
Electronic record systems have become the option of choice for many providers. The single most obvious benefit, clearly, is that consumer records are maintained consistently in a clear, complete, and legible manner. When considering organizational productivity and operations, the use of an electronic record system offers several features that can greatly enhance efficiencies and will help support your operational systems: Reminders surrounding due dates such as progress notes, case plan reviews, and reviews surrounding client rights Monitoring of accountability in … Continue reading
Ready, Set, Grow! – Three Steps to Developing Your Accreditation Plan
The path to accreditation often brings about beneficial organizational improvements that take thoughtful time and preparation to put into action. Following a clear plan will help your organization efficiently maximize its effort and reach its goals on schedule. We offer these three valuable tips that will assist your agency during its accreditation journey. Develop a realistic timeline If accreditation is mandated by your state or association, there is likely a clear deadline for earning accreditation. If not, an agency will … Continue reading
What to Expect After your Accreditation Survey?
As legendary baseball player Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” While he was undoubtedly referring to the baseball season, his words ring true for the accreditation process, as well. During an accreditation survey, it is typical for reviewers to provide your organization with notes and recommendations for areas that need to be addressed to meet accreditation requirements. Therefore, while the accreditation survey may be complete, your agency must now complete the post-survey process. Listed here are … Continue reading
2016 Blog Recap
Did you miss any of our Accreditation Guru blog posts during the past year? We published nearly 25 nonprofit blog articles; below we have highlighted some of our most popular reads from 2016 that may be worth a second look for your organization as you beginning planning for the new year. Thank you for being loyal followers in 2016. We look forward to providing you with more informative posts in 2017! Here’s to the happiest of New Years! Accreditation What’s … Continue reading
Key Considerations in Choosing an Accrediting Body (Part II)
In a recent blog post, we shared with you the significance of cost and timing considerations when choosing an accrediting body. Here we discuss several additional components that should be thoroughly evaluated as your organization chooses an accrediting agency: Fit with accreditation requirements One of the most important things you can do when assessing an accrediting body is to review its accreditation requirements or standards. If your organization already meets many of the requirements of one or more of the … Continue reading