A newsletter of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc.

Volume 5 | Issue 1 | Spring 2018

1 ›› TRIANGLE TIMES | SPRING 2018 IMPROVING HEALTH CARE QUALITY THROUGH ACCREDITATION

Kershner awardwinners announcedI n November of 2017, the AAAHC Institute for

Quality Improvement announced the 6 finalists (3 from Surgical/Procedural and 3 from Primary Care) for the 2017-2018 Bernard A. Kershner Innovations in Quality Improvement (the “Bernies”) award program.

Each finalist submitted a fully developed and implemented quality improvement study and were recognized at Achieving Accreditation, March 16-17, in Tampa, Florida, where the individual studies were presented in poster format.

Submissions are divided into surgical/procedural and primary care categories. The AAAHC Institute’s expert panel selected one winner for each, and attendees at Achieving Accreditationhad the opportunity to cast a vote, based on their health care setting, for a People’s Choice award.

SURGICAL/PROCEDURAL AWARD TO….The Bernie for surgical/procedural care was awarded to “Cutting the Cost on Miochol” by Kyle Friedman, RN, BSN from the Danbury Surgical Center in Danbury, Connecticut.

Fort Worth Endoscopy Center won the People’s Choice award in the surgical category for “Using

C02 for Insufflation to Reduce Patient Discomfort” by Kim West, RN, CGRN.

PRIMARY CARE AWARD TO….The Bernie for primary care was awarded to “Transition of Care Service: Post Discharge Medication Reconciliation” by Jun Park, PharmD; Lindsay Sampson, PharmD; and Peter Laluk, PharmD from the Winslow Indian Health Center in Winslow, Arizona.

The People’s Choice went to Rockmore-King Clinic

for the study, “Travel to Obtain Health Care and USCG C-130 Hercules Aircraft Utilization,” by CDR Todd L. Emerson and HS2 Nathan Goodrich.

You may view the expert panel surgical care and primary care winners’ submissions and facility profiles on pages 2 and 3 of this issue.

To review all finalists’ posters, please visit: http://www.aaahc.org/institute/QI-awards/. s

A message from the AAAHC President and CEO

A s the leader in ambulatory accreditation, AAAHC promotes patient safety and drives

quality improvement. We are invested in you. Part of that investment involves not only listening to what our supporters say but also listening to our critics.

Earlier this year, Kaiser Health News and USA Todayreleased an article critical of outpatient surgery centers. Initially, 38 news outlets across the country picked up the story, including a live interview with a lead reporter on the CBS This Morning news show on March 2. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the story did not attract public interest. Within three days after the initial coverage, the article ran very few times with virtually no social media shares.

The AAAHC supports the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association’s response in which my colleague, ASCA CEO Bill Prentice, presented a strong rebuttal to the claims made in the reporting, writing that these stories focused on a relatively small number of tragic errors, while ignoring the overwhelming beneficial outcomes found in ambulatory surgery centers.

Here’s the thing. At the AAAHC, we encourage patients to embrace their health care choices.

Ambulatory care centers offer high-quality affordable care and are a convenient, safe alternative to the traditional hospital environment. The fact is, the very existence of these centers more than 45 years ago was driven by patient demand for more convenient, cost-effective and safe quality care.

Unfortunately, surgery carries risk regardless of whether a procedure occurs in a hospital or an outpatient setting. I’m sure we all agree that any adverse patient care event is tragic and warrants investigation and corrective action.

As a health care quality improvement organization, there is no question we deeply regret every single adverse event and have great sympathy for those patients and their families.

However, these reports created a false and misleading narrative about the safety and efficacy of outpatient care. Poorly-researched reports like the KHN and USA Today articles do an incredible disservice to the public and to the many professionals who invest countless hours every day to provide quality care to patients. These articles created fear and concern with “alternative facts” that are unsupported by both data and the medical

literature and do not accurately and responsibly report the high-quality, high-value outcomes occurring in ambulatory surgery centers on a daily basis.

The reality is that patients are putting their trust in you—they trust that you will safely guide their health care by ensuring facility adherence to rigorous, best practice standards of care and safety.

AAAHC accreditation is one way that ambulatory practices can demonstrate that they have earned this trust.

Formed in 1979—well before government regulation of ASCs—health care providers and medical societies established the AAAHC to ensure safe, high quality patient care was delivered in the outpatient setting through compliance to rigorous, nationally recognized health and safety standards.

Through our accreditation program, we collaborate with you to establish the processes, procedures, and quality improvement metrics to integrate quality and safety into the fabric of your operation. And, AAAHC accreditation means you have willingly opened your doors to an informed, expert third-party evaluation of your performance.

Because good patient care is essential to all of us.

During the past eight months, I have had the opportunity to address several Achieving Accreditation education program audiences and many of our clients, reaching nearly 1,000 people.

I shared that the training we are providing and the time our surveyors spend with individuals within

Dr. Kenneth Sadler presents the Bernie for surgical/procedural to Kyle Friedman from the Danbury Surgical Center

Dr. Scott Trimas awards the Bernie for primary care to Peter Laluk and Lindsay Sampson from the Winslow Indian Health Center

Noel M. Adachi, president and chief executive officer of AAAHC

continued on page 4

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ovem

ent.

KERSHNER WINNER

5/18© The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.

Volume 5 | Issue 1 | Spring 2018

4 ›› TRIANGLE TIMES | SPRING 2018 IMPROVING HEALTH CARE QUALITY THROUGH ACCREDITATION

HCI winds downs operations as AAAHC renews focus on Standards and educational offerings

S ince 1999, Healthcare Consultants International, Inc. (HCI) has been providing

consultative assistance to health care facilities seeking accreditation. As an AAAHC wholly-owned subsidiary, HCI has been a valuable resource in assisting facilities pursuing Standards compliance, quality improvement, and accreditation. During the past seven years, HCI Managing Director Kristine Mighion, MD, expanded its services to provide hundreds of facilities assistance in preparing for accreditation, applying for Medicare certification, and implementing organization-wide quality improvement.

Recently, however, in a concerted effort to heighten AAAHC focus on developing and promoting relevant standards for a broadening spectrum of health care facilities, the HCI and AAAHC Board leadership decided to suspend HCI’s consulting operations effective December 31, 2017. During 2018, our accredited facilities and those pursuing initial accreditation will experience an expanded menu of educational offerings and tools designed to support their quality improvement efforts.

Through our work assisting health care facilities, we have observed tremendous quality improvements in facility operations and the care they provide to their patients. We are pleased to share that Dr. Mighion will continue with her commitment to health care

quality through a new consulting organization, HealthCon Corp. (www.healthconcorp.com). HealthCon Corp. is an independent organization owned and led by Dr. Mighion and not affiliated with AAAHC. We wish Dr. Mighion well with her new business venture and are confident that under her leadership HealthCon will continue to deliver the high level of professional, consultative services which made HCI a valued partner.

When making accreditation decisions, AAAHC does not consider whether a facility has utilized consulting services provided by HCI, HealthCon, or any other organization or individual. However, we recognize that some facilities can benefit from additional consultative support which provides up-to-date knowledge of the Standards, practical application, consultative advice, and relevant knowledge of quality health care management and improvement. There are numerous organizations and individuals that provide consulting services. AAAHC does not maintain a referral list or qualify consultants, but we can provide you suggestions on factors to consider when selecting a consultant. Additionally, we encourage you to ask your peers or respective professional associations for referrals to consultants that may be able to assist with your accreditation compliance needs.

If you are new to the ambulatory accreditation process and would like guidance on where to start your journey, don’t hesitate to reach out to AAAHC. s

AAAHC: Out and About June 14-16Becker's Orthopedic, Spine, and Pain Management, Chicago

September 14-15Achieving Accreditation* Washington, D.C

November 30-December 1Achieving Accreditation* Las Vegas

* For more information, visit aaahc.org and select the "Education" tab.

Training and EducationRecorded webinar presentations- 2018 Standards Part I of II:

Core Chapters for Non-Medicare surveys

- 2018 Standards Part II of II: Adjunct Chapters for Non-Medicare surveys

- Safe Injection Practices (SIP): Common AAAHC Standard Deficiencies & What YOU Need to Know to Avoid Them and Ensure Patient Safety

Purchase the recordings at: http://www.aaahc.org/en/education/Webinars/

AAAHC Announces Strategic Governance Structure NEW BOARD LEADERSHIP IMPLEMENTED TO SUPPORT GROWTH, INNOVATION

A fter nearly 40 years, the AAAHC, the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation, has

enacted a new governance model that transitions the organization to a focused 13-member Board of Directors plus the AAAHC CEO/President as ex officio without vote. With the new governance structure, the AAAHC is evolving from its association model that had served the organization well for many years to a new model that will better position AAAHC to expand in the health care accreditation industry.

The newly-appointed 2018-2019 officers bring extensive experience and expertise in patient-centric ambulatory care to their leadership roles.

• Arnaldo Valedon, MD, Board Chair• Ira Cheifetz, DMD, Chair-Elect• Timothy J. Peterson, MD, Secretary/Treasurer• Kenneth M. Sadler, DDS, MPA, Immediate Past

Board Chair

“Our governance model will strengthen our ability to best service organizations that are seeking continuous improvement in the quality of patient

care delivered in the ambulatory setting,” said Arnaldo Valedon, MD, AAAHC incoming board chair. “The new governance structure will drive the development and implementation of a multi-year strategic plan to better position AAAHC for enhanced growth and to continue its commitment to health care quality through accreditation.”

The nine elected non-officers possess a diverse scope of knowledge, and they will continue to focus on engagement and growth opportunities across all specialties.

• W. Patrick Davey, MD• Jan Davidson, RN, MSN• Lawrence Kim, MD • Joy Himmel, PsyD• Mark Mandell-Brown, MD• S. Teri McGillis, MD• Dennis Schultz, MD• David Shapiro, MD• Edwin Slade, DMD, JD

“This is an historic event in the life of any association,” said Noel M. Adachi, president and chief executive officer. “I am very proud of the action our board has taken to advance AAAHC – a decision which is to the benefit of the organization and in service to our mission. I look forward to working with the new board to help lead our organization as we continue to support high-quality patient care.”

ASSOCIATION COLLABORATIONThe AAAHC would like to thank the following health care associations for their support of our Board of Directors and for their collaboration in delivering high-quality patient care in the communities we serve. We look forward to the leadership they will provide to AAAHC in the future.

• Ambulatory Surgery Center Association Foundation• American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery• American Academy of Dental Group Practice• American Academy of Dermatology• American Association of Oral and

Maxillofacial Surgeons• American College of Gastroenterology• American College Health Association• American College of Mohs Surgery • American Congress of Obstetricians

and Gynecologists • American Dental Association• American Gastroenterological Association• American Society of Anesthesiologists • American Society for Dermatologic

Surgery Association• American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy• Association of periOperative Registered Nurses • Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia s

A message from the AAAHC President and CEOcontinued from page 1

facilities pursuing accreditation isn’t just about the performance on the day of their survey or the certificate they receive.

The AAAHC and the patients these clients serve expect quality integrated into everything they do—every day.

Achievement of the three-year, AAAHC accreditation demonstrates a facility’s commitment to adhere

to high quality standards during every day of that three-year cycle—1,095 days in which you are providing care to a mother, a child, a brother, a colleague, someone’s loved one—all of whom are trusting you and your colleagues to deliver on your promise of better outcomes.

As CEO of AAAHC, a major part of my role is to serve you by ensuring that:

• Our Standards fulfill CMS requirements and reflect best practice

• We provide the tools that enable your compliance• Our surveys are fair, consistent, timely, and

educational • AAAHC accreditation brings value to your

business and patient safety goals

I also believe I have a responsibility to the patients you serve by assuring them that they can have confidence in the quality and services provided by institutions accredited by the AAAHC.

Together, we can strengthen the care you provide. s