In previous articles, we discussed home health care firms’ accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and The Joint Commission. Another organization, CHAP, also offers accreditation for home care and community-based health care providers.
Created in 1965 as a joint venture between the American Public Health Association and the National League for Nursing, CHAP was the first accrediting body for home- and community-based health care organizations in the United States. Today, CHAP is a recognized leader in home health accreditation, with more Medicare-certified home health providers than any other accrediting body recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
CHAP accreditation communicates to patients and their families the importance providers place in offering services that exceed quality and compliance standards. CHAP accreditation offers home health care agencies, hospice providers, and others in the health care space the following resources:
- Access to a clinical team for standards interpretation, standards application, and technical support.
- A dedicated Accreditation Services team who understands the provider’s needs.
- CHAP’s Standards of Excellence, which help the organization function optimally to deliver the best care and services possible.
- Access to free and discounted educational programs on CHAPEducation, many with CE contact hours for the provider to maintain professional development and training standards for its entire staff.
- Electronic self-study and standards, with access to CHAP LinQ.
- A comprehensive Site Visit, required for validation of adherence to CHAP’s Standards of Excellence.
- An online media kit to help promote the provider’s accredited status to partners, potential clients and more.
- A listing of the provider on CHAP’s Find a Provider Portal of accredited organizations for maximum visibility.
Live and recorded webinars are available with topics such as “HIPAA, HiTech and Technology: Practical Approaches to Protecting Information” and “Ethics and Accountability in Community Health” offered. Accreditation resource documents are available on topics that range from “Home Care/Private Duty Policy Checklist” to “Hospice Policy Checklist – Site Visit Preparation Tool” and “Top Ten Palliative Care Deficiencies in 2020.”
The insurance underwriting process is multi-faceted, and can include pricing consideration in the form of credits (where state insurance regulators allow) to give recognition to accredited firms. The rigorous process that a home care firm must go through to obtain and maintain accredited status shows an insurance program and carrier that the organization has gone “above and beyond” when it comes to operating their business and taking care of patients and clients.
Manchester Specialty Programs specializes in providing agents and brokers with totally integrated business insurance solutions to meet the needs of Home Care, Allied Health and Human/Social Services organizations. For more information about how our products and services can help protect your insureds, and how we recognize accredited firms, please contact us at 855.972.9399.