The National Committee for Quality Assurance will begin accrediting accountable care organizations Nov. 21, and yesterday the organization shared some of the standards and intentions of the accreditation process during a press briefing.
In the briefing, NCQA President Peggy Kane said an accreditation process will help in the implementation of ACOs. "I think, partly, we want to have a program that ensures that [any providers] that call themselves an ACO is doing the right thing around patients," Ms. Kane said. "Accreditation also aligns health plans, employers, states and federal purchasers," she said.
She noted that NCQA received extensive input from consumer advocates about their concerns with the ACO model — knowledge that will help NCQA ensure ACOs are implemented appropriately.
Ms. Kane listed the seven accreditation standards for ACOs, which are:
• Program operations
• Access and availability
• Primary care
• Care management
• Care coordination and transitions
• Patient rights and responsibilities
• Performance rating
NCQA currently accreditates patient-centered medical homes, a model Ms. Kane called the "foundation" to ACOs. She shared other traits of ACOs that will be examined in the accreditation process. These include:
• The ACO has the infrastructure to coordinate providers.
• It collaborates with important stakeholders to increase the quality of patient care, improve patient experience and manage financial resources.
• It promotes the delivery of primary care by providing patients access to PCMHs or evaluating the ability of primary care practices within the ACO to deliver patient-centered care.
• It has a method for patients to submit complaints/requests for data.
• It makes results available to the public and ACO providers.
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In the briefing, NCQA President Peggy Kane said an accreditation process will help in the implementation of ACOs. "I think, partly, we want to have a program that ensures that [any providers] that call themselves an ACO is doing the right thing around patients," Ms. Kane said. "Accreditation also aligns health plans, employers, states and federal purchasers," she said.
She noted that NCQA received extensive input from consumer advocates about their concerns with the ACO model — knowledge that will help NCQA ensure ACOs are implemented appropriately.
Ms. Kane listed the seven accreditation standards for ACOs, which are:
• Program operations
• Access and availability
• Primary care
• Care management
• Care coordination and transitions
• Patient rights and responsibilities
• Performance rating
NCQA currently accreditates patient-centered medical homes, a model Ms. Kane called the "foundation" to ACOs. She shared other traits of ACOs that will be examined in the accreditation process. These include:
• The ACO has the infrastructure to coordinate providers.
• It collaborates with important stakeholders to increase the quality of patient care, improve patient experience and manage financial resources.
• It promotes the delivery of primary care by providing patients access to PCMHs or evaluating the ability of primary care practices within the ACO to deliver patient-centered care.
• It has a method for patients to submit complaints/requests for data.
• It makes results available to the public and ACO providers.
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