The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare released its 2020 Quality Roadmap, which identifies high-compliance areas and improvement opportunities from surveys conducted in 2019.
AAAHC shared data from 1,488 surveys conducted in 2019.
Here are several insights from the report:
1. The most common deficiencies were related to quality improvement and documentation. The surveys found centers were most lacking on missing information in a patient's clinical record on allergies/sensitivities and missing evidence of medication reconciliation.
2. Top deficiencies cited in more than 10 percent of surveys were consistent with previous years' findings. These deficiencies related to credentialing and privileging, infection prevention/safe injection practices, and emergency preparedness.
3. AAAHC broke down high-compliance standards by whether the survey was to achieve Medicare deemed status or not. High-compliance standards for non-Medicare Deemed Status surveys included:
- Supporting ongoing professional development
- Transferring a patient between professionals
- Educating staff members on new devices or products
- Maintaining strict confidentiality on patient records
- Ensuring a licensed provider directed pharmaceutical services
4. High-compliance standards for Medicare Deemed Status surveys included:
- Implementing strategies to prevent adverse patient events
- Having measures to improve clinical competence, skill and performance
- Providing access to information on clinical, education, administrative and research services
- Encouraging professionals to continue educational programs and activities
- Being concerned about cost of care
View the full report here.