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Greetings from PHAB,
April was a busy month for many of PHAB's volunteers as we asked them to return to duty and hear about results of the beta test evaluation, think tank recommendations, website feedback, and exert panel recommendations with the charge to propose revisions to the accreditation tools in anticipation of the fall launch of the program. Read more about their work in this issue of the e-newsletter, as well as the next steps in the development of the program.
In many ways, the atmosphere around the PHAB office is much like preparing for any other big event. We are putting our best touches on all of the materials that will be needed when we open the program for applications in just about four short months. And, we are getting very excited! We hope you are as well.
This historical moment in the life of public health would not be possible without the continued interest on the part of the public health practice community. Your willingness to work with us to make accreditation practice relevant will be the key to the success of the program in the long run.
Please stay tuned for next month's newsletter as we report the results of the May Board of Directors meeting and their decisions regarding Version 1.0 of the accreditation tools. And, as always, let us know if you have questions or need information that you don't see in this e-newsletter or on our website.
Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN
President and CEO
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Assessment Process Workgroup Update
The PHAB Assessment Process Workgroup met on April 6, 2011, to review several documents that were revised based on the feedback received through the evaluation of the beta test and from workgroups, think tanks, committees, and expert panels. The four documents reviewed were the Guide to National Voluntary Accreditation, Readiness Checklists, Statement of Intent Information, and Application Information. The Workgroup proposed recommendations to the PHAB Board of Directors regarding changes in the guidance documents, the sequence of the accreditation process, composition of PHAB trainings, and applicable plans to streamline the accreditation process for a fully integrated online information system. PHAB is committed to releasing these materials to the public this summer following Board approval.
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Standards Development Workgroup Update
The PHAB Standards Development Workgroup met on April 19 and 20, 2011, to review changes to the beta test version of the Guide to Standards and Measures, which includes the PHAB standards, measures, required documentation, and documentation guidance. The process of revising the Guide to Standards and Measures included consideration of comments and feedback from the beta test, the Public Health Laboratory Think Tank, the Environmental Public Health Think Tank, the Tribal Think Tank, the Texas Think Tank sponsored by the Texas Association of Local Health Officials (TALHO), and an expert panel on community health assessments and community health improvement plans. PHAB also received input from various program staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The Workgroup used a voting system as a means to reach consensus on changes to the standards and measures, and developed a final set of recommendations for Board approval. In addition to the recommendations from the Standards Development Workgroup, PHAB also received input from expert panels on governance and on quality improvement. The Guide to Standards and Measures Version 1.0 will be made available to the public this summer, and will be the official standards, measures, and guidance for the launch of the accreditation program this fall.
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Research and Evaluation Committee Update
The PHAB Research and Evaluation Committee held a one-day meeting and open forum on April 11, 2011, in conjunction with the 2011 PHSSR Keeneland Conference in Lexington, KY. The Committee discussed various methodologies of scoring and weighting of the PHAB standards and measures, and finalized discussions on the PHAB research agenda. The Research and Evaluation Committee has developed recommendations for approval at the May PHAB Board of Directors meeting. |
Public Health Accreditation Included at the Rocky Mountain Tribal Health Conference
Participants of a Tribal leaders conference learned about accreditation at the Rocky Mountain Tribal Health Conference on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Billings, MT. Dr. Bud Nicola, MD, MHSA, FACPM, PHAB Board Member, presented public health accreditation to a small audience and had an excellent discussion about the challenges people running Tribal public health and health services are having in preparing for accreditation. Dr. Nicola shared with the PHAB staff, "We have a lot to learn from Native American cultures and their approach to health and illness."
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PHAB Featured at the 2011 Keeneland Conference
PHAB exhibited at the 2011 Keeneland Conference, an annual meeting that discusses Public Health Systems and Services Research (PHSSR), in Lexington, KY, on April 12-14, 2011. 
At the opening luncheon, remarks from John Lumpkin, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Care Group, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, included a section on public health accreditation. He noted that you can't look to Google or Consumer Reports to determine the quality of health departments, but PHAB accreditation is the way to assess performance of health departments against a set of nationally recognized, practice-focused, and evidence-based standards. There were several sessions about public health accreditation that shared findings from the beta test, and PHAB also solicited feedback from the PHSSR experts in attendance. At one session, participants vetted the revised PHAB Domain 9 about public health quality improvement and performance management to an expert panel that demonstrated expertise in this area.
PHAB is dedicated to sharing the word about accreditation at national and regional meetings through exhibits and speaking events. Please contact Kaye Bender at kbender@phaboard.org to inquire about including PHAB representation at your next conference.
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| PHAB Continues to Be a Learning Organization
PHAB is pleased to continue its efforts toward being a learning organization as it supports the work of students needing practicum and internship experiences related to accreditation. This semester, PHAB has had two students working on various projects of national significance.
 Angela Carman, MBA, is a DrPH student in health services management at the University of Kentucky, College of Public Health, and she currently serves as a research assistant in the UK Center for Public Health Systems and Services Research. She received a BS degree in Business Administration at Berea College, and a Master of Business Administration at Eastern Kentucky University. She is certified as a Human Resources Professional by the Society of Human Resources Management, and is also certified by the American College of Healthcare Executives as a Certified Healthcare Executive. She served as CEO of a small critical-access hospital in Kentucky leading strategic planning efforts to enhance the hospital's clinical contribution to the community. Angela currently works with PHAB to incorporate beta test information in the PHAB Glossary of Terms, which will be redesigned to be more user-friendly for practitioners. In addition, Angela will work to draft an Accreditation Coordinator handbook.
 David Reyes, MN, MPH, RN, is a Health Services Administrator with the Department of Public Health - Seattle & King County in the Community Health Services Division. He holds a BS degree in Nursing from Seattle University, and Master of Nursing and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Washington Seattle. David has over 25 years of professional nursing experience in clinical, administrative, and educational roles, with 14 years in public health practice focusing on health services operations, systems improvement, and workforce development. He is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student at the University of Washington, focusing on quality and systems improvement in public health. David is currently completing his practicum experience with PHAB, compiling a bibliography pertaining to quality improvement in public health. In addition, he is developing a proposal to create an education and training module to assist public health practitioners with understanding the role of quality improvement in public health, in particular as it relates to PHAB's accreditation standard and measurement criteria in Domain 9. This proposal will become the focus of David's DNP capstone project with PHAB.
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Accreditation is Front Page News
The American Public Health Association (APHA), one of PHAB's founding partners, published an excellent article in the May/June 2011 issue of The Nation's Health entitled "Accreditation of Health Departments on Its Way." PHAB appreciates the visibility that APHA provided to accreditation by making it front page news to several thousand readers. Click here to read the article. |
Word on the Street
1. How does PHAB differ from JCAHO and AAAHC accreditation? All three types of accreditation aim to promote quality of services and performance, based on a national set of standards; where they differ are the types of entities that are eligible to apply for accreditation and the types of services that the standards are designed to improve. Each accrediting body is a unique entity that has different policies, procedures, standards, methodology for revising its standards, length of awarding accreditation, etc. A little about the three organizations is listed below for a quick comparison. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits health care organizations and programs in the United States. JCAHO currently accredits over 19,000 health care organizations. Over the years, the Joint Commission transitioned from accrediting hospitals only to an organization that accredits a variety of healthcare organizations, including ambulatory care, home care, hospice care, and laboratories in hospitals. Learn more about JCAHO at their website.
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) is a private, non-profit organization that accredits organizations that promote patient safety and quality, and value for ambulatory health care. AAAHC currently accredits almost 5,000 organizations that provide services in the ambulatory health care setting. The types of organizations that become accredited include ambulatory and surgery centers, community health centers, medical and dental group practices, medical homes, and managed care organizations, as well as Indian and student health centers. They are also the official accrediting organization for the US Air Force and the US Coast Guard. Learn more about AAAHC at their website. The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is the national non-profit organization that awards accreditation to Tribal, state, local, and territorial health departments. Currently, there are no nationally accredited governmental public health departments because PHAB's accreditation program will launch in fall 2011. The goal of national public health accreditation is to improve and protect the public's health by advancing the quality and performance of public health departments. Learn more about PHAB on our website. 2. My health department wants to apply for accreditation, should we write an official letter of interest or application letter to PHAB? Everyone at PHAB is happy to hear that so many health departments are interested in applying for accreditation and want to start using the official PHAB standards and measures to begin to gather supporting documentation, but you need not submit a letter to PHAB. The PHAB Board of Directors is meeting May 24-26, 2011, to approve the materials necessary for the launch of accreditation this fall. Be on the look-out in early summer for the following critical documents: - PHAB Guide to Standards and Measures Version 1.0 (this includes the official first set of the standards, measures, and documentation guidance)
- PHAB Guide to National Voluntary Accreditation
- Fee Schedule for 2011/2012
- A List of Education Services to be Provided by PHAB
Just because the official documents aren't released yet doesn't mean you have to sit and wait! It's too early to submit your letter of intent, but health departments can still be engaged in a variety of preparatory activities as described in the "Word on the Street" from the September 2010 issue of the PHAB e-newsletter. Click here to view PHAB's "What's Next" flyer that includes the mentioned excerpt. 3. I understand that the IRS will require hospitals to develop a community health assessment. Should my health department seek to collaborate with the local hospital to develop one assessment that addresses both the health department's and the hospital's community health assessment needs? PHAB strongly encourages health departments to develop partnerships with hospitals and other community members in order to collaborate on a variety of efforts, as indicated throughout the PHAB standards and measures. Hospitals are critical partners and can contribute primary and secondary data, planning expertise, community meeting facilities, as well as community health education and health promotion programs and services. The IRS requirement that non-profit hospitals report on the development of a community health assessment provides a perfect opportunity for your health department to initiate or further develop your partnership with local non-profit hospitals. Collaboration on the development of a community health assessment that addresses both of your information needs can be one element of your partnership. PHAB encourages you to review the IRS reporting form for hospitals (Schedule H, Form 990, OMB No. 1545-0047). Part V, Section B, sets forth the details that are to be reported including the hospital's process for consultation with others who represent the community's interest, the process for identifying and prioritizing health needs, and how the hospital addressed those identified health needs. In addition to the community health assessment, non-profit hospitals are required to report their "community benefit" and "community building" activities, including coalition building and community health improvement advocacy. All of these IRS requirements provide an excellent opportunity and incentive for health departments and non-profit hospitals to work together to improve health of the population for the benefit of the community. For more information, please visit this IRS website. 4. We heard that PHAB will have a new online system for managing the accreditation process, including the uploading of accreditation documentation. When will we know more about that? PHAB released an RFP and received several strong proposals in response from vendors interested in working with PHAB to develop a solid information system to support accreditation. The chosen vendor will assist PHAB in providing training for accreditation applicants. PHAB learned a lot from the beta test sites about what is needed for a user friendly system to support accreditation and will incorporate that information into the development of the system. The new system is expected to be in place in time for the fall launch. |
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