Tips on Complying with ASC Accreditation Requirements

Accreditation plays a pivotal role in differentiating ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) through enhanced quality, safety, and compliance. But, operations can’t grind to a halt when it comes time to renew accreditation and staff must scramble to prepare.

Putting the right systems and processes in place now will set your ASC on track to maintain business as usual when it’s time for your next survey. With the information in this article, you can be confident that the necessary documentation is in compliance with strict clinical, operational, and administrative standards. 

Stop the ASC accreditation renewal scramble.

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Why Do Accrediting Bodies Have Higher Training Requirements?

It’s voluntary to earn accreditation, so the expectations can be higher. With a mission to push quality and safety beyond minimum compliance, many accrediting bodies use training and education as tools to differentiate participating organizations. There’s also a focus on continuous improvement, benchmarking, and proactive safety systems, which are fueled by deeper education. Here are some of the benefits of enhanced training requirements:

• Patient safety and quality of care: Additional training requirements are designed to uphold the highest standards of patient safety and care for accredited facilities.
• Reputation and credibility: Accreditation serves as a seal of approval that demonstrates an ASC’s commitment to excellence and patient safety.
• Risk management and liability reduction: Accreditation-level training equips ASC staff with strategies to identify areas for improvement and potential risks, implement preventive measures, and respond effectively to adverse events.
• Continuous improvement: Quality and performance improvement is a major part of most accreditation programs and training is required to ensure all employees are prepared to contribute.
• Staff morale and engagement: Offering advanced training demonstrates an ASC’s investment in its staff’s professional growth and development. When employees receive comprehensive training, they feel valued and engaged in their roles. 

Tips to Stay Compliant with ASC Accreditation Requirements 

Keep Compliance Top-of-Mind

Accreditation isn’t a one-time event. Organizations are expected to maintain compliance year-round. When you don’t continuously maintain these standards, the resulting scramble drains staff resources and becomes very costly for your ASC.

Accredited organizations are held to higher standards, so it’s hard to cram all the documentation into the weeks before renewal. Plus, if surveyors see your dated policy updates, training completion, and board approvals are all within the past few weeks, they know what you’re doing. The hardest standards to meet at the last minute are the ones that require ongoing, documented, and measurable activity over time. 

Prepare Early

While the application itself might only take a few days to fill out, the preparation and documentation gathering is what takes the most time. It is never too early to start compiling documentation if your organization is approaching re-accredtiation.

Even for well-prepared ASCs, it can take 4–6 weeks to compile, review, and submit an application package for reaccreditation — and that’s assuming there’s no corrective action needed to ensure everything is up to standard. The tighter compliance you maintain and the better records you keep, the easier reaccreditation will be. Be sure to stay on top of upcoming policy expirations, license renewals, and any changes to regulatory or accreditation standards.

Leverage Technology

Technology, like MedTrainer, streamlines the accreditation renewal process by centralizing and automating the documentation that surveyors review. Automated policy update reminders, tracking, and expiration notifications keep you ahead of some of the most common deficiencies. Plus visibility with customizable dashboards, you minimize the time it takes you to prepare for a renewal application and survey because you can be sure training is complete, your policies are updated and compliant, and your provider documentation is ready. Renewing has never been easier!

Stay Renewal-Ready With MedTrainer

MedTrainer’s all-in-one platform streamlines your processes, so accreditation renewal is no longer a scramble. 

With MedTrainer’s healthcare LMS, you’ll get benefits such as:

• All accreditation training requirements: With a total of 128 ASC-related courses available, MedTrainer helps you meet training requirements necessary for your ASC accreditation. 
  • Accreditation Association for Ambulatory HealthCare (AAAHC): 42 Courses American 
  • Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (QUAD A): 29 Courses
  • Accreditation Commission for Healthcare (ACHC): 69 Courses
  • The Joint Commission (TJC): 190 Courses

• Automatic tracking and reporting: MedTrainer Learning streamlines training management by automatically tracking and reporting on employees’ progress. The ability to customize course completion reports based on roles, locations, and departments simplifies compliance tracking across the organization. Automated certificate issuance, stored within each employee’s profile, provides quick access to training achievements and documentation.
• Automated reminder emails: Reminding employees to complete courses is crucial for maintaining high completion rates. MedTrainer automates reminder emails, ensuring that employees are aware of pending training tasks and deadlines, and ultimately reduces time spent on repetitive tasks for admins. 
• Earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs): Many training courses offered through MedTrainer provide Continuing Education Units (CEUs). This is particularly beneficial for ASC professionals seeking to maintain their licenses, certifications, and stay updated on industry best practices. 
• Upload facility-specific courses: An LMS like MedTrainer Learning enables ASCs to upload their own training content tailored to facility-specific needs. This customization allows training to be precisely aligned with the ASC’s protocols, emergency plans, policies, and procedures. Whether it’s explaining hazardous drug standard operating procedures or detailing emergency response plans, uploading facility-specific courses guarantees that training is directly relevant to your ASC’s operations.

In addition to our best-in-class healthcare LMS, MedTrainer lets ASCs manage their compliance and credentialing needs all in the same system, streamlining both accreditation renewal needs and day-to-day operations. 

• AI Policy Review: AI flags non-compliant policies in your library and suggests edits so you can easily keep policies compliant with evolving accreditation standards.
• Comprehensive Policy Management: From policy creation to approval, staff distribution, acknowledgement, and storage — all related tasks are in one platform.
• Automatic Course Assignment: Assign all required training — by role, department, and location — with the click of a button.
• Customizable Reports: Quickly identify compliance gaps so you can take action and provide these reports to surveyors.
• Automated Reminders: Stay ahead of license renewal, re-credentialing, re-accreditation, and training completion with automated email notifications.
• Credentialing Management: Store all credentialing data, documents, and communication in MedTrainer with automated workflows for enrollment, privileging, and more.

Incorporating MedTrainer into your ASC accreditation and training processes offers numerous advantages, from managing compliance and streamlined tracking to facilitating ongoing education and customization. The all-in-one solution optimizes training, compliance, and credentialing management, contributing to the safety, quality, and success of ambulatory surgery centers. Watch this webinar recording for additional compliance tips straight from a panel of expert surveyors.

Get started with MedTrainer today: https://medtrainer.com/demo/