Accreditation Commission for Health Care
Encyclopedia
The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) is a US
non-profit
health care
accrediting organization. It represents an alternative to the Joint Commission.
The ACHC was set up in 1985 by home care
health providers to create an accreditation
option which was more focused on the needs of small providers. The process began in Raleigh
, North Carolina
, with the group incorporated in August 1986. The first accredited organization was awarded certification in January 1987. The company began offering services throughout the whole of the USA in 1996.
In November 2006, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved ACHC to accredit suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) as meeting new quality standards under Medicare Part B.
In January, 2009 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)announced the approval of the ACHC for continued Deeming
Authority for Home Health Agencies through 2015. Initial approval of Deeming Authority of ACHC for Home Health
Agencies was granted in February 2006.
On November 27, 2009, ACHC was recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national accreditation organization for Hospices that request participation in the Medicare program
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
accrediting organization. It represents an alternative to the Joint Commission.
The ACHC was set up in 1985 by home care
Home care
Home Care, , is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as domiciliary care or social care), is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as...
health providers to create an accreditation
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
option which was more focused on the needs of small providers. The process began in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, with the group incorporated in August 1986. The first accredited organization was awarded certification in January 1987. The company began offering services throughout the whole of the USA in 1996.
In November 2006, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved ACHC to accredit suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) as meeting new quality standards under Medicare Part B.
In January, 2009 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)announced the approval of the ACHC for continued Deeming
Authority for Home Health Agencies through 2015. Initial approval of Deeming Authority of ACHC for Home Health
Agencies was granted in February 2006.
On November 27, 2009, ACHC was recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national accreditation organization for Hospices that request participation in the Medicare program
See also
- International healthcare accreditationInternational healthcare accreditationDue to the near-universal desire for quality healthcare, there is a growing interest in international healthcare accreditation. Providing healthcare, especially of an adequate standard, is a complex and challenging process...
- List of healthcare accreditation organisations in the USA
- Patient safetyPatient safetyPatient safety is a new healthcare discipline that emphasizes the reporting, analysis, and prevention of medical error that often leads to adverse healthcare events. The frequency and magnitude of avoidable adverse patient events was not well known until the 1990s, when multiple countries reported...
- Patient safety organizationPatient safety organizationA patient safety organization is a group, institution or association that improves medical care by reducing medical errors. In the 1990s, reports in several countries revealed a staggering number of patient injuries and deaths each year due to avoidable adverse health care events...
External links
- Official web page
- "ACHC Marks 20th Year", Home Care Magazine, January 2006 (reprint by findarticles.com)
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- LivHOME Receives Accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc.