- Email: [email protected]
Why Seek Accreditation?
Ask the CAMTS
Eileen Frazer, RN, CMTE
Why Seek Accreditation? We often hear this question, and we understand that resources are tight so it is important to spend wisely. Just as you would research before purchasing a large item, check with others who have experienced the level of service they received, and make sure you get more than 1 opinion. There are both internal and external benefits of accreditation. A Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS)-accredited medical transport service shows to its employees and to the public that it cares about the quality of patient care and safety and is committed to doing things right. The comprehensive audit provided by CAMTS to determine compliance with the accreditation standards provides a medical transport service with the ability to identify opportunities to streamline costs and enhance effectiveness. Even if accreditation is not achieved at first, our constituents tell us that the process itself was a great learning experience. Ultimately, there is a positive impact on the service’s bottom line in terms of future earnings and preventive strategies that far outweigh the actual costs of accreditation. The internal benefits include the following: • Ability to recruit more qualified employees • Common sense of pride • Comprehensive audit • Education opportunities • Focus on prevention rather than reaction • Manage risk and liability • Morale improved The external benefits are as follows: • Better billing compliance • Competitive edge • Controlled costs of liability insurance • Enhanced safety • Fewer licensing issues • Improved patient care • Marketing tool • Meeting government requirements • Stronger defense in litigation There are other accrediting agencies available that may have similar standards. When choosing an accreditation agency, you are not just concerned about meeting compliance with standards; you should expect to benefit from the experience and expertise of the agency. If information is not transparent such as what is the background and experience of the auditors and the board or committee who make the accreditation decisions, you need to ask. You also want to make sure the agency is fully insured to cover any on-site mishaps or errors and omissions. The policies that govern accreditation actions and decisions are also very important and include a clearly defined conflict of interest policy that excludes board mem124
bers or others from participating in accreditation decisions, site surveys, or other processes when a conflict may (real or perceived) exist. CAMTS not only lists the member organizations and current representatives who serve on the board but also all of the policies including redlined polices that were changes or additions from the previous board meeting. The polices are available as free downloads as are the standards. Our practice is to be open and transparent, and our process allows and encourages input, suggestions, and review by individuals and organizations, outside of itself, related to standards, policies, and procedures. In addition, CAMTS is open to evaluation of its business practices and ethics, and you should expect no less of any accrediting body. We review our mission, vision, and values before each board deliberation as well as the expectations of CAMTS-accredited services including honest self-assessment, ethical business practices, patient and safety focused, continuous quality improvement, and transparency in the accreditation process. Lastly, it is important to understand that if accreditation is not of interest, CAMTS does have a separate consulting arm that is available to any medical transport service that wants to have a complete audit or is interested in an audit of a specific component such as safety or quality. The consultant is chosen by the service from a pool of experienced site surveyors who have a common background and the degree of expertise needed by the service. Full details about the consulting entity are found in Section 07.00.00 of the Policy and Procedures Manual on www.camts.org. Eileen Frazer, RN, CMTE, is the CAMTS executive director. She can be reached at [email protected]. 1067-991X/$36.00 Copyright 2014 by Air Medical Journal Associates http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amj.2014.04.008
Air Medical Journal 33:4
Eileen Frazer, RN, CMTE
Why Seek Accreditation? We often hear this question, and we understand that resources are tight so it is important to spend wisely. Just as you would research before purchasing a large item, check with others who have experienced the level of service they received, and make sure you get more than 1 opinion. There are both internal and external benefits of accreditation. A Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS)-accredited medical transport service shows to its employees and to the public that it cares about the quality of patient care and safety and is committed to doing things right. The comprehensive audit provided by CAMTS to determine compliance with the accreditation standards provides a medical transport service with the ability to identify opportunities to streamline costs and enhance effectiveness. Even if accreditation is not achieved at first, our constituents tell us that the process itself was a great learning experience. Ultimately, there is a positive impact on the service’s bottom line in terms of future earnings and preventive strategies that far outweigh the actual costs of accreditation. The internal benefits include the following: • Ability to recruit more qualified employees • Common sense of pride • Comprehensive audit • Education opportunities • Focus on prevention rather than reaction • Manage risk and liability • Morale improved The external benefits are as follows: • Better billing compliance • Competitive edge • Controlled costs of liability insurance • Enhanced safety • Fewer licensing issues • Improved patient care • Marketing tool • Meeting government requirements • Stronger defense in litigation There are other accrediting agencies available that may have similar standards. When choosing an accreditation agency, you are not just concerned about meeting compliance with standards; you should expect to benefit from the experience and expertise of the agency. If information is not transparent such as what is the background and experience of the auditors and the board or committee who make the accreditation decisions, you need to ask. You also want to make sure the agency is fully insured to cover any on-site mishaps or errors and omissions. The policies that govern accreditation actions and decisions are also very important and include a clearly defined conflict of interest policy that excludes board mem124
bers or others from participating in accreditation decisions, site surveys, or other processes when a conflict may (real or perceived) exist. CAMTS not only lists the member organizations and current representatives who serve on the board but also all of the policies including redlined polices that were changes or additions from the previous board meeting. The polices are available as free downloads as are the standards. Our practice is to be open and transparent, and our process allows and encourages input, suggestions, and review by individuals and organizations, outside of itself, related to standards, policies, and procedures. In addition, CAMTS is open to evaluation of its business practices and ethics, and you should expect no less of any accrediting body. We review our mission, vision, and values before each board deliberation as well as the expectations of CAMTS-accredited services including honest self-assessment, ethical business practices, patient and safety focused, continuous quality improvement, and transparency in the accreditation process. Lastly, it is important to understand that if accreditation is not of interest, CAMTS does have a separate consulting arm that is available to any medical transport service that wants to have a complete audit or is interested in an audit of a specific component such as safety or quality. The consultant is chosen by the service from a pool of experienced site surveyors who have a common background and the degree of expertise needed by the service. Full details about the consulting entity are found in Section 07.00.00 of the Policy and Procedures Manual on www.camts.org. Eileen Frazer, RN, CMTE, is the CAMTS executive director. She can be reached at [email protected]. 1067-991X/$36.00 Copyright 2014 by Air Medical Journal Associates http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amj.2014.04.008
Air Medical Journal 33:4