PHAB's Fee Development Committee is requesting some information from your health department that will assist us greatly in our workload planning. We know that you have probably responded to similar questions from our partner organizations, but this survey is meant to provide current information that will advise the immediate planning for PHAB, including the development of the fee structure. You will not be obligated to PHAB in any way related to your responses. The reason that we need your name and size of health department is just for planning purposes related to the category of accreditation applicant that your health department represents.

 

The survey is expected to take approximately 5 minutes to complete. We will not share your information beyond the PHAB Board and staff. Please give us your best estimate for your responses. There is no penalty now or later if you provide us with information that changes in the future.

 

The survey link is www.surveymonkey.com/s/B95RM37. Either click the link or simply copy and paste this address in your internet browser, and the survey should come right up. The survey will only be open until February 28, 2011, so please log on and complete it today if you can!

 

PHAB's Information Systems Development Committee is working with the Public Health Informatics Institute and an End Users Workgroup to develop detailed business requirements of the accreditation information system Request for Proposals (RFP). The process that has been undertaken identified and documented every aspect of the system requirements from pre-application through the accreditation decision. The results from the Beta Test have been very instructive as well. We anticipate having the RFP ready for distribution in March and a vendor decision in April. Stay tuned for more details about this developmental work.

 

1. When will we know about the accreditation fee structure? We need to know those numbers so we can plan our budgets.

 

The Fee Development Committee of the Board continues to work hard to finalize the accreditation fee structure. While they understand that this information is vital to health departments preparing to apply for accreditation, they also want to make sure that they have considered everything they possibly can before they complete that work. The survey information noted at the beginning of the e-newsletter will help them make some of their final decisions.

 

2. Will PHAB provide examples of "good documentation" from the Beta Test?

 

The Beta Test sites all did a great job in working with us through the Beta Test. However, that test was designed to provide information to PHAB for revising the accreditation instruments. They were learning as we were learning. Part of the agreement between PHAB and the Beta Test sites in the beginning was that we would not share any of their information with others. Also, since we didn't make accreditation decisions during the Beta Test, we can't officially define what "good documentation" would be in light of revised standards and measures. Once the program is launched and we have successful applicants, there will be information they can share as they wish. And, when we get to that point, PHAB and its partners will all be doing some training so that future applicants can be successful in providing their documentation.

 

3. I am still confused about the role of PHAB staff versus the role of national partners such as ASTHO, NACCHO, and NIHB in providing technical assistance. Can you clarify?

 

PHAB will provide training and technical assistance about the process of going through accreditation. We will do everything we can from a training perspective to provide health departments with the information they will need to be successful applicants.

 

Our partners will provide technical assistance to health departments preparing their materials and processes for accreditation. Think of it this way: if you were about to sit for a test and wanted to make sure that you knew the content, you would certainly find out about the test structure, format, etc., from the person or entity giving the test. But, you might hire a tutor to help you prepare for the test. Our national partners are those tutors. We are working together to make sure that what we provide is well coordinated so as not to be confusing. We think it will become clear once you see those materials.

 

4. When will we see the revised standards and measures that will be used for the launch of the accreditation program in the fall?

 

PHAB is working to get those revisions done and submitted to our Board of Directors for their May 2011 meeting. When their decisions have been made, we will then be ready to make the documents public. We are hoping to have them available by the early summer.