According to a recent article in Modern Healthcare, increasing consolidation in the healthcare sector and changes in reimbursement methodologies, such as the payment structure for accountable care organizations (“ACOs”) is leading to changes in accreditation standards.
John Burke, the CEO and President of Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, stated, “The movement to accountable care organizations and other recent trends has led to more health systems reabsorbing primary-care physicians and free-standing ambulatory-care settings back into the hospital.” His organization plans to start a new accreditation program for hospitals and health systems.
The Joint Commission, the main accrediting body for hospitals, is also evolving to meet recent changes. The Joint Commission has recently added new offerings targeting areas like disease management and preventable hospitalizations, which are a key feature of ACOs. ACOs include health care providers and entities from practitioners to hospitals to post-acute care. The ACO providers are required to share information and resources to provide coordinated care for each patient. In June, the Joint Commission launched a transitions-of-care portal featuring resources related to handoff communication, discharge planning and other aspects of healthcare across the continuum.