Joint hospital survey program cancelled After 40 years of partnership, the Joint Commission is terminating its agreement with the California Medical Association's Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ). IMQ will, however, offer expanded consulting services for hospitals, which may include mock surveys and/or survey preparedness. Medical staffs will be able to request an IMQ consultant separate from any hospital survey. Since the 1970s, IMQ has participated in hospital licensure and accreditation surveys in partnership with the Joint Commission. In May 2014, the consolidated survey program was discontinued, but California hospitals were still able to request an IMQ surveyor to participate on their Joint Commission survey. Unfortunately, fewer than half of the hospitals have opted for an IMQ surveyor. The Joint Commission cited the decline in organizations electing IMQ participation in the hospital accreditation program as one factor in its decision to terminate the agreement, effective April 20, 2016. Another factor was IMQ’s Ambulatory Survey Program application for deemed status with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which the Joint Commission indicated was in direct competition with its own Ambulatory Program. Ambulatory Surgery Centers that obtain deemed status through IMQ accreditation will be able to be reimbursed by Medicare and other insurances that require CMS certification. The cancellation is a huge blow to medical staffs in California, as IMQ’s participation provided medical staffs with a physician surveyor who was knowledgeable about California laws and requirements, as well as the Joint Commission standards. IMQ’s participation helped promote higher quality health care for all Californians. IMQ surveyors will complete the surveys scheduled in the first quarter for hospitals that have requested an IMQ surveyor. Contact: Leslie Anne Iacopi, (415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org. January 25, 2016 General IMQ, Hospital Accreditation, Institute for Medical Quality 0 0 Comment Read More »
Update on the IMQ Hospital Accreditation Survey Program Since the 1970s, the California Medical Association’s Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) has participated in hospital licensure and accreditation surveys in partnership with The Joint Commission (TJC) and the California Department of Public Health under the Consolidated Accreditation and Licensure Survey Program. Although the program is no longer consolidated, hospitals that are surveyed by TJC can choose to have an IMQ physician surveyor replace one TJC surveyor on the team. Since October 2014, approximately 50 percent of the hospitals scheduled for a survey in California have opted to have an IMQ surveyor participate in the survey. These hospitals have overwhelmingly indicated that the experience has been a positive one. Some comments received from hospitals on the evaluation forms state: “Great advice on all topics. In-depth knowledge of best practices.” “Having a practicing physician from CA who is familiar with CA regulatory requirements is very beneficial. As a practicing physician, the surveyor knows challenges facing physician practice and is able to discuss best practices implemented at other facilities.” “It was very collaborative so would suggest the same approach continue to be taken.” “Very knowledgeable of the survey process. Clear communication. Very approachable. Interacted well with staff.” IMQ’s physician surveyors are experienced, actively practicing medical staff leaders, trained both in TJC standards and knowledgeable about state requirements and California practice. Choosing IMQ also means that the survey will include a medical staff leadership conference to motivate medical staff members to participate more fully in hospitals’ patient safety processes. Any hospital preparing for a survey in the next 18 months can still choose to have an IMQ surveyor participate in their hospital survey. The steps to include an IMQ surveyor are: In your hospital’s electronic application, go to Tab 3 – Federal/State Tab. In the navigation pane on the left, you will find “Hospital – State of California.” You may or may not need to scroll down to find the Hospital section, depending on the services your hospital offers. Under “Hospital, State of California,” you can find the box for IMQ Participation, with the question: “I wish to request that an IMQ physician surveyor participate in my Hospital’s accreditation survey – Yes or No.” There is an attestation statement asking you to read the information, attest your understanding, and that you authorize the Joint Commission to include an IMQ surveyor by checking the box. Be sure to save your changes when prompted. For more information, see the IMQ website. Contact: Leslie Anne Iacopi, (415) 882-5167(415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org. Call Send SMS Call from mobile Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype July 24, 2015 General Hospital Medical Staff, IMQ, Institute for Medical Quality, Hospital Accreditation 0 0 Comment Read More »
Simplification of accreditation requirements adds value for providers of CME In 2014, the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) streamlined some of the CME accreditation requirements for hospitals and other organizations. Having encouraged these changes, the California Medical Association (CMA) and its Institute of Medical Quality (IMQ) quickly moved to adopt the ACCME revisions. IMQ also simplified the California-specific requirements for cultural and linguistic competency. In addition to the streamlined accreditation requirements, IMQ significantly expanded its outreach efforts to help CME providers understand and comply with the new accreditation criteria and policies. IMQ has also created a CME Provider Portal on its website, with an abundance of tools and resources to support CME programs. As a result of these efforts, IMQ is pleased to report that more organizations are achieving full four-year accreditation with fewer interim reports and that there is a steady rise in those achieving the six-year "Accreditation with Commendation." In addition, organizations seeking initial two-year accreditation are more likely to become accredited on their first try. Last year, organizations accredited by IMQ conducted 7,401 CME activities that equaled 60,839 hours of instruction. Of these activities, 98 percent were conducted without commercial support. Many CME activities are planned as part of an organization’s strategic efforts to improve quality and patient safety, by focusing on core competencies such as improving medical knowledge, skills and interpersonal communication. Anyone interested in learning more about accreditation and how CME can benefit your organization is encouraged to contact IMQ. CME Essentials Workshop For organizations considering CME accreditation for the first time, or those seeking to reestablish their CME programs, IMQ offers a one-day CME Essentials Workshop as an introduction to CME requirements. The Essentials Workshops are offered quarterly, alternating between Northern and Southern California, with the next scheduled for August 14 at the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association in Oakland. For more information or to register, click here. Contact: Jena Resner, M.D., at jresner@imq.org, or Julie Hopkins at jhopkins@imq.org. July 14, 2015 General Hospital Accreditation, Institute for Medical Quality, CME Accreditation, IMQ 0 0 Comment Read More »
Hospitals can now request IMQ physician surveyors for accreditation surveys The California Medical Association’s (CMA) Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) recently signed a contract with The Joint Commission that allows California acute care hospitals to choose whether they want an IMQ physician surveyor to participate in their accreditation surveys. Hospitals with survey anniversary dates in 2015 have until August 15 to indicate their selection. If they do not actively request an IMQ surveyor, IMQ will not participate on their survey. Since the 1970s, IMQ has participated in hospital licensure and accreditation surveys in partnership with the Joint Commission and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) under the Consolidated Accreditation and Licensure Survey Program (CALS). In November 2013, however, The Joint Commission informed IMQ that it no longer wanted to continue the existing relationship. CDPH, which previously participated in the integrated hospital surveys, is instead piloting its own licensure surveys. Under the new agreement, hospitals that do not choose to have an IMQ physician surveyor participate in their survey will be surveyed according to The Joint Commission's survey methodology used in other states, as described in the regular Joint Commission 2014 Survey Activity Guide. CMA members are encouraged to talk with their hospital administrators about the importance of including IMQ on their hospital surveys. IMQ’s physician surveyors are experienced, actively practicing medical staff leaders. In addition to completing The Joint Commission's training, they understand California’s unique practice environment and regulatory requirements. Because they are “in the trenches” of patient care, they offer pragmatic suggestions for improving patient safety systems. CMA believes that IMQ surveyors are uniquely qualified to participate in hospital surveys due to their knowledge of state requirements, first-hand experience in California practice and the ability to motivate medical staff members to participate more fully in the hospital’s patient safety processes. For more information, see the IMQ website. Contact: Leslie Anne Iacopi, (415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org. August 8, 2014 General IMQ, Institute for Medical Quality, Joint Commission, Hospital Accreditation 0 0 Comment Read More »
