EHNAC launches ACO accreditation program

The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body, is launching an accreditation program tailored to accountable care organizations (ACOs) and related IT service organizations. It is scheduled to go live on Oct. 1.  

The ACO Accreditation Program (ACOAP) will assess network infrastructure and exchange connectivity in the areas of confidentiality and privacy, technology processes and security in compliance with federal healthcare legislative mandates. The accreditation program also focuses on technical performance, business processes and resource management, as well as key performance quality metrics, according to a press release.

EHNAC plans to work with ACO accreditation candidates to identify ways to improve efficiency and quality of service while aligning with marketplace trends and standards. Two beta organizations, Capital Clinical Integrated Network and HEALTHEC, will be the first organizations to go through the ACOAP and plan to represent geographic balance and provide diversity in ACO models, according to the commission.

"This new program strengthens the data exchange platforms that make those clinical successes possible by giving a third-party 'stamp of approval' to those ACO stakeholders who have demonstrated the secure management of protected health information and can provide assurances to their overall corporate integrity and trust between entities,” said EHNAC Executive Director Lee Barrett in a statement.