ACO draft accreditation criteria open to public comment
The first draft criteria for the necessity, appropriateness and workability of the Accountable Care Organization Accreditation Program (ACOAP) are open to interested parties to submit their opinions, comments and suggestions.
The ACOAP is the newest accreditation program of the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data.
The open process for adopting criteria will last 60 days, commencing Oct. 22 and ending on Dec. 22. Visit www.ehnac.org for more details or to review the latest EHNAC criteria and submit feedback during this comment period.
The EHNAC criteria for each of its accreditation programs sets the foundational requirements for measuring an organization's ability to meet federal and state healthcare reform mandates such as HIPAA, Omnibus, ARRA/HITECH, ACA and other mandates for covered entities and business associates focusing on the areas of privacy, security, confidentiality, best practices, procedures and assets.
ACOAP recognizes excellence on the part of ACOs and related IT service organizations by assessing network infrastructure and exchange connectivity. The accreditation program also focuses on technical performance, business processes and resource management.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.