ACHC’s Tim Safley on a provider’s worth

CARY, N.C. – The Accreditation Commission for Health Care recently published a 2021 annual report that highlights recent accomplishments, including its new programs for clinical respiratory patient management and custom mobility and its increased educational offerings. 

Tim Safley, program director for the DMEPOS, Sleep and Mobile Dentistry accreditation programs, shared how the role of accrediting organizations is evolving along with its customers. 

HME News: Why did ACHC want to develop DMEPOS distinctions for respiratory and custom mobility? 

Tim Safley:  Whether it’s respiratory or complex rehab, the DME industry for a long time has been providing care by clinicians and ATPs that’s never been recognized, because they’re not paid for clinical services, they’re paid for delivering equipment. We started developing these programs because we wanted to show that these companies are going above and beyond what’s required. We also wanted to make it about the positive outcomes that are associated with that level of care. 

HME: There’s a general environment of decreasing reimbursement and increasing costs in the industry right now. Why should providers go through the time and expense of an additional distinction? 

Safley: It is more costly. We do spend another half-day on site. But these companies are delivering something that can be measurable and can show that a payer is getting their money’s worth. The more you can show a payer you’re a good investment, the more likely you are to get that contract. We’re often short sighted in how we look at things like that. 

HME: It seems to me that providers are sitting on a bunch of outcomes data, but they don’t know what to do with it and programs like these can help? 

Safley: That’s a good way to say it. We don’t tell them how to measure it; we ask them how they’re measuring it. And then we help them put it into a format that’s usable and that will benefit them and the payer. 

HME: ACHC offered 61 webinars with 8,745 attendees in 2021. Two of the most well-attended webinars were on changes to the home infusion benefit and changes to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law. When there are so many resources out there, why are providers looking to their accrediting organization for education? 

Safley: The best AOs understand the industry that they support. It’s not about making sure a company is meeting all of the quality and supplier standards; it’s about making sure you’re helping the company understand those regulations and the environment in which they compete. It needs to be patient- and outcomes-focused, as much as it is about the business practices of the company.