Private duty agencies need employee handbook
Private duty agencies need employee handbook
Do you have an employee policy handbook? Or do you need to update the tired, old one you have? You should for your own protection. The Employee Policy Handbook for Private Duty Agencies is now available from American Health Consultants, the publisher of Private Duty Homecare. This book contains all the information a private duty home care agency owner, director, or manager needs to design a basic handbook.
It provides 32 rules for staff conduct in the client’s home, seven important guidelines for working with the elderly, and samples of more than 35 commonly used policies and components of policy handbooks, such as substance abuse and patient confidentiality.
Why spend thousands of dollars in man-hours developing your own handbook when policies exist that are proven effective? Formulated specifically for private duty agencies, this book can provide guidance for all home care agencies.
Act now to order this timesaving, money-saving, easy-to-use management aid. Call (800) 688-2421. Private duty has another accrediting possibility
Company has focused on smaller agencies
If you’d like to have your private duty agency accredited but would prefer an alternative to a Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations survey, here’s another accrediting body to try the Accreditation Commission for Home Care (ACHC) in Raleigh, NC.
Established in 1986, the independent, private, not-for-profit corporation was created by the North Carolina Association for Home Care in response to provider concerns for quality community-based health care services and the desire for alternatives to accreditation. ACHC started accrediting private duty agencies in 1992 and began a national expansion in January 1996, says Tom Cesar, ACHC president and CEO.
"Most of the organizations that we have accredited have been independent, smaller agencies," he says. "That’s been our focus, although we have done some larger agencies in North Carolina, too."
Emphasis on non-Medicare agencies
The ACHC program is geared more toward non-Medicare business than Joint Commission’s, says Valorie Williams, RN, director of nursing at NorthCare Health Services in Greenville, NC. NorthCare is in its third year of being accredited by ACHC.
ACHC’s standards are comparable to the Joint Commission’s, providers say, and meeting these standards shows payers you are providing quality care. It also costs less to be accredited through ACHC, says Betty Wallace, RN, BSN, MSN, PNP, owner of Professional Nursing Services, a for-profit agency in Morehead City, NC. "[Joint Commission accreditation] is extremely expensive."
Although Joint Commission is touted as the national standard for most insurance payers and managed care-type facilities, ACHC is in the process of trying to gain that status.
"ACHC wants to be in line with other accrediting agencies like the Joint Commission and CHAP," adds Williams.
ACHC is working on its application to the Health Care Financing Administration in Baltimore to receive Medicare-deemed status. ACHC expects the status in a few months.
The company, however, says it is recognized in various states by payers such as Cigna, BCBS, Humana, Healthsource, Qualichoice, United HealthCare, Partners, and Prudential. Cesar advises providers to check with payers to verify acceptance of the ACHC program. The company is trying to gain recognition with payers across the country, he says.
Multiservice accreditation is most popular
ACHC accredits providers in six programs: multiservice (certified and noncertified home health), home medical equipment, infusion, hospice, in-home aide, and women’s health care products and services.
Most private duty agencies seek multiservice accreditation, Cesar says. Multiservice accreditation includes Medicare certified and noncertified services that are provided to patients or consumers in home settings to facilitate their recovery from acute or other care and/or to increase their independence, improve their quality of life, and decrease their overall health care costs. (For a look at a sample standard, see p. 137.)
In-Home Aide service accreditation encompasses all levels of paraprofessional levels, including personal care services, companion sitters, and homemakers. This accreditation does not include skilled nursing care.
A provider will normally be surveyed within 30 to 90 days of ACHC receiving the application and fees. The length of time and cost of the survey will depend on the number of services provided, the volume of clients, and the number of branches. A typical visit is two days. The base fee for all surveyor categories is $2,500 and will rise according to the complexity of the organization.
A home health trained surveyor will be assigned for a certified and noncertified home health provider. Surveyors must have at least five years experience, one of which must be in management/supervision, as well as experience in the licensure or accreditation process for the specific service area surveyed.
The private duty provider has one year to complete the survey process from the time the application fees and the Preliminary Evidence Report is received.
"We require the applicant organization to send in copies of different policies to us about a month before the survey visit," Cesar explains. "That way the surveyor has an opportunity to do desk review of [this Preliminary Evidence Report] before going to the company. If anything seems out of place or missing, then the surveyor can call the company and say, I’ll be there in two weeks, and I can’t find anything on safety.’"
Providers say they like the assistance they receive with the accreditation process. "They give you a chance to get ready for the accreditation," Williams says.
For example, surveyors ask specifically for policies they don’t see in the review materials, she says. "They’ll say, I’m looking for the information that helps your agency meet this standard.’"
Then they give the agency time to locate the information. "Sometimes we may call it something else from the way they have it worded."
The 11¼2 day workshops are usually held in the spring and fall, Cesar says. Tentatively, ACHC has scheduled one for late spring or summer of 1998. The workshops are usually held in the Southeast but will gradually expand to other locations throughout the country.
After the completion of the survey, determinations and announcement of the results of the visit are forwarded to the provider within 45 to 60 days of the visit. The review committee will approve, deny, or defer accreditation. If the survey score is 85 or higher, the application will be approved. If the score is 95 or higher, the certificate will state "with commendation."
If the decision is deferred (a score of 70 to 84), the applicant will have a maximum of 90 days to implement corrections for areas determined to be out of compliance. If the committee requires a survey of the area in question, the follow-up visit will be scheduled following receipt and review of the plan of correction.
[Editor’s note: For more information about the Accreditation Commission for Home Care, call Tom Cesar at (919) 872-8609. Or write him at 3325 Executive Drive, Suite 150, Raleigh, NC 27609.]
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