Across the world, the external assessment of health care services is being increasingly used to regulate, improve and promote health care services.

Accreditation is the longest established and most widely known form of external assessment of healthcare services throughout the world. The accreditation process utilises standards of excellence, self assessment and the skills of trained surveyors.

Accreditation guides healthcare organisations in identifying their strengths and also their opportunities for improvement and to better understand the objectives and complexities of their operations. With this knowledge, organisations can address short and longer-term plans to improve their performance and use their resources to most effectively meet needs.

Accreditation seeks out organisations which not only provide an adequate level of care to its patients/clients but which can be identified as a centre of excellence in all aspects of the safety and quality of care provided.

An organisation which applies for Accreditation:

An organisation which applies for Accreditation undertakes to develop a quality system which assists its healthcare professionals in providing the best level of care to you the patient/client possible. This is accomplished by:

   ♦ Identify and acting the key areas relating to patient safety.

   ♦ Utilising a framework (Accreditation Standards) to help evaluate and improve the key aspects of care delivery.

   ♦ Self assessing the service provided on a regular basis and implementing improvements where identified

   ♦ Inviting independent external Surveyors to validate the service being provided

   ♦ Utilising the findings of the independent Surveyors to continuously improve

An organisation which achieves Accreditation:

A healthcare organisation which achieves Accreditation status has:

   ■An extensive organisation-wide risk management process to ensure maximum patient safety

   ■A comprehensive quality system which actively seeks to identify problems within the provision of care and rectify them

   ■That it is predominately compliant with all of the key aspects of health provision as identified by the Irish Health Services Accreditation Board

   ■A healthcare organisation which achieves Accreditation status is recognised as a centre of excellence in the specific areas of patient/client care that it provides.

Why Accreditation is more important than ever:

Quality-minded organizations look for opportunities to improve their services, and organizations that seek accreditation understand there is always room for growth. They are interested in improving their standards and service, and are willing to "raise the bar" in pursuit of excellence. Continuous quality improvement is the pivotal reason for participating in accreditation.

Accreditation also:

   ◊ Demonstrates to an organization's clients and communities (including internal communities such as Board Members, physicians, and staff) that the organization has achieved certain high standards.

   ◊ Evaluates an organization according to national standards of excellence as defined by health care providers across the country. Individuals in communities served by an accredited organization can and do take comfort in knowing the standards and quality of care offered are as good as those offered elsewhere in the country.

   ◊ Requires that participating organizations complete a process of self-assessment, which provides valuable responses to all areas of an organization.

   ◊Allows management to develop a "road map" outlining current challenges and setting future goals, providing a framework for continually improving the quality and efficiency of care and service. This framework can then be clearly communicated to the organization's constituencies, encouraging continual progress and growth

    Worldwide Healthcare Standards

      International Healthcare Organizations    

      Regional Healthcrae Accreditors             

   ♣ Strengthens community confidence in the quality and safety of care, treatment and services.

   ♣ Provides a competitive edge in the marketplace.

   ♣ Improves risk management and risk reduction.

   ♣ Helps organize and strengthen patient safety efforts.

   ♣ Provides education on good practices to improve business operations.

   ♣ Provides professional advice and counsel, thereby enhancing staff education.

   ♣ Enhances staff recruitment and development.

   ♣ Provides deeming authority for Medicare certification.

   ♣ Recognized by insurers and other third parties.

   ♣ May reduce liability insurance costs.