ACHC

Can your patients tell the difference when they interact with your direct employee versus someone from an agency? Does your staff feel a difference? Do your metrics show a variance based on who provides a service? Whether support or direct care staff, outsourced services must follow your policies and procedures and be held to the same high standards as the rest of your team. 

According to the American Hospital Association, more than two-thirds of surgeries at community hospitals in the U.S. are now outpatient procedures.1 This shift is a big win for patients, offering faster recovery times and lower costs. Patients expect a smooth procedure, a hassle-free recovery, and clear communication – but short stays and limited contact with healthcare providers often leave them on their own to interpret post-op instructions and unsure about post-operative symptoms. 

“Credentialing and privileging” are often discussed as a pair, but privileging and peer review are seen as distinct. As with credentialing, each informs the other and they should be viewed as integrated activities.

For more than 25 years, articles about patient safety have referenced the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. This report’s main conclusion was that most medical errors were not the result of individual recklessness. Instead, faulty systems, conditions, and/or processes lead people to make, or fail to prevent, mistakes. 

Maintaining current, accurate, and complete credentialing files is required for all accreditable healthcare settings, but it’s an especially critical process for procedural teams. Credentialing not only validates the qualifications of healthcare providers based on education, licensure, and background checks, but the process also upholds patient care standards and manages risk by ensuring that competent, verified professionals are granted specific, relevant clinical privileges. 

It’s an exciting time for ambulatory surgery centers. ASCs have become central to the healthcare delivery system, and the market is ripe for innovation and growth. Outpatient facilities that provide surgical services offer patient satisfaction through lower costs and shorter stays. Providers gain efficiency and increased throughout.