vendredi 20 février 2015

What It Takes To Get UHMS Accreditation

By Janine Hughes


The primary goal for the freestanding hyperbaric clinic should be to attain the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) accreditation. This is for obvious reasons; it is the way to stay in business for long. It assures other players that services offered by the facility are beyond reproach. Although it requires heavy investment to attain quality in all aspects, the benefits that follow are immense. The referrals from physicians and other medical practitioners increase while the medical insurers trust the institution with their clients are willing to reimburse any expenses without too much negotiation. Normally, the UHMS accreditation is voluntary; however, the process of attaining it is rigorous.

In order to be accredited, the medical facility's wound care team will have to provide data that detail the quality of the hyperbaric medicine, policies and procedures, safety and the patient outcomes to the team send by the UHMS to the facility. The team sent will also have to examine the staffing and training process and conduct an insight survey to examine other facilities available like the equipment, the operation and maintenance program, the standard of care and the patient safety procedures among others.

In order to ascertain this, the health care facility has to be surveyed by a team from the UHMS. In addition to above data, they have to gather data on training processes, the equipment operation and maintenance, and the safety standards in place.

Since the standards are so high, it is often advisable that the medical facility seeks services from expert consults to assess the extent to which their current establishment and procedures conform to the said standards. The consultants should offer insight in regards to scope, the resources, and time required for conformity. The consultant should also offer assistance in helping the facility conform by steering the processes required by the institution.

Ideally, there are a number of benefits that come from using a third party to guide the facility before the UHMS team come for the survey. They give a detailed report with the guideline of what should be done and when. This detailed interrelationship between the tasks to be completed and the resources necessary for the same ensures that the clinic is able to meet the standards on the right time without wastage of resources. In some instances, the consultants also help in the actual performance of some of the tasks.

The specific areas to be surveyed include general administration, the operations, construction, and facility maintenance. The chamber is also inspected on the basis of fabrication, ventilation, fire protection, and electrical system. For patients, the issues like patients' rights, assessment, care, and education are also considered. The other areas are medical staff, the human resources, infection control, medical gas system, clinical research, teaching and publication, leadership, information management, professional improvement, and the environmental care.

Once also the areas meet the set standards, a facility attains the accreditation, which is a proof that the facility conforms to the high standards required in the medical environment. It also a proof that the team running the said medical center is qualified and the health care providers have the necessary training and professional qualification.

Although the process might be costly in the beginning, the cost benefit analysis proves that it is a very profitable investment. It means more referral from practitioners which in turn increase the caseload. It ensures that reimbursement from insurers is prompt with no questions. It is the way to ensure that the hospital remains in business.




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