EHNAC Announces Accreditation Program For Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) And Related IT Service Organizations

Two program betas will be evaluated on their ability to ensure a secure, high-quality and efficient exchange network

The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body, recently announced the development of the Accountable Care Organization Accreditation Program (ACOAP). Two beta organizations – Capital Clinical Integrated Network (CCIN) and HEALTHEC – have been finalized as the first organizations to undergo this comprehensive accreditation process and plan to represent geographic balance and provide diversity in Accountable Care Organization (ACO) models.

ACOAP recognizes excellence on the part of ACOs and related IT service organizations by assessing network infrastructure and exchange connectivity in the areas of confidentiality and privacy, technology processes and security in compliance with federal healthcare legislative mandates including HIPAA, HITECH Omnibus and others. In addition, the accreditation program focuses on technical performance, business processes and resource management, as well as other key performance quality metrics from areas such a population health, care coordination and other facets to establish trust with all stakeholders within the ACO environment.

The ACOAP advisory committee includes executive representatives from Alameda Health System, BluePrint Healthcare IT, Bricker & Eckler, CCIN, HEALTHEC, Medicity, the Maryland Healthcare Commission, the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, MGMA, NJ-HITEC and more including other major national ACO stakeholder organizations.

Lee Barrett, EHNAC’s executive director discussed the role that ACO accreditation will play in healthcare: “Today’s ACOs have taken the lead in driving the value-based care model and placing the importance of improving patient outcomes above all else. This new program strengthens the data exchange platforms that make those clinical successes possible by giving a third-party ‘stamp of approval’ to those ACO stakeholders who have demonstrated the secure management of protected health information (PHI) and can provide assurances to their overall corporate integrity and trust between entities.”

Through the rigorous self-assessment and consultative site review process, EHNAC will work with ACO accreditation candidates to identify ways to improve efficiency, elevate quality of service, and ensure that the organization aligns with current marketplace trends and standards.

The ACOAP has been developed through a consultative and consensus-driven process that incorporates public comment and testing. Within the beta process, the candidate organizations will be evaluated on their compliance with draft criteria, which will then be reviewed and refined prior to the program’s formal launch in Q4 2014. EHNAC is currently seeking industry representatives from state agencies, ACOs and other interested parties to participate on its ACO Advisory Committee to assist with final refinement of its criteria, process and national launch efforts. Companies interested in learning more should visit the ACO program page (https://www.ehnac.org/accountable-care-organizations/).

About EHNAC
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) is a voluntary, self-governing standards development organization (SDO) established to develop standard criteria and accredit organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data. These entities include accountable care organizations, electronic health networks, EPCS vendors, eprescribing solution providers, financial services firms, health information exchanges, health information service providers, management service organizations, medical billers, outsourced service providers, payers, practice management system vendors and third-party administrators.

EHNAC was founded in 1993 and is a tax-exempt 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization. Guided by peer evaluation, the EHNAC accreditation process promotes quality service, innovation, cooperation and open competition in healthcare. For more information, visit www.ehnac.org.