Medicare Approved Accreditation Agency - Research Paper Example

The paper "Significance of the American Osteopathic Association/Healthcare Accreditation Facilities Program" is a worthy example of a term paper on medical science. Accreditation agencies conduct surveys of various healthcare institutions and companies to ensure quality improvement in the provision of health services. These agencies receive approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enable CMS to provide support, such as funding, to healthcare companies (Curley & Vitale, 2012).

Accreditation agencies ensure that the set standards for providing clinical and pharmacy services coincide with the practices in health institutions. This paper describes the significance of the American Osteopathic Association/Healthcare Accreditation Facilities Program (AOA/HFAP) for healthcare companies. It will include various regulations and standards in pharmaceutical practice.  Accreditation organization in details AOA/HFAP ensures that organizations provide quality and safe services to patients.

It ensures the quality of services in health facilities including pharmaceutical companies, which have to provide high-quality drugs (Brown, 2006). In hospitals, the organization ensures that drug provision to patients is in accordance with requirements and standards set by HFAP. HFAP consists of a survey team that moves around hospitals and other health facilities to scope the performance of these institutions (Brown, 2006). HFAP dedicates itself to see the well-being of the organizations it surveys.

The organization performs surveys with the aim of providing education. Surveyors are nurses, physicians, and skilled administrators possessing sufficient professional knowledge (Brown, 2006). AOA has a purpose of ensuring the quality of osteopathic education to those involved. It ensures awareness of the importance of joining the organization. It ensures that the healthcare provided is affordable by all patients (Brown, 2006). It supports research in osteopathic medicine and affiliates with other organizations to promote osteopathic medicine (Brown, 2006).

Background on the CMS Approval Process CMS was formerly the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). Its purpose was to oversee Medicare programs and operate in conjunction with the government to provide Medicaid. The organization saw a need for the approval process in order to determine the eligibility of institutions for support services (Office of the Federal Register, 2012). The organization came up with the approval processes so that the most eligible organizations received funds and other services to ensure quality health care.

For an agency to receive recognition from CMS, it must provide the standards that it utilizes to accredit health companies (Office of the Federal Register, 2012). The accreditation organization has to avail its procedures for accreditation (Curley & Vitale, 2012). The information provided must contain various aspects such as the frequency of conducting accreditation in agencies. The information offered by the accreditation agency to CMS is helpful in determining if that organization qualifies for support (Curley & Vitale, 2012).

Role of NIAHO (National Integrated Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations) NIAHO performs surveys to healthcare organizations to ensure compliance with various factors such as ISO standards. In this case, it ensures that the quality needs as per the ISO 9001 are met. NIAHO concentrates on interactions and procedures in hospitals (Holdford et al., 2010). It ensures improvements in patient care by adhering to safety requirements and lowering the cost of accreditation. NIAHO can exceed COP needs and involves ISO 9001 plus 2000 management systems for maintaining quality (Holdford & Brown, 2010).

NIAHO ensures that hospitals and other health organizations comply with the requirements specified by CMS. Various surveys conducted by NIAHO intend to execute the ISO standards and lead to accreditation of health organizations (Curley & Vitale, 2012). The survey process includes meetings needed to describe the scope and purpose of the survey about to occur in a health organization (Curley & Vitale, 2012). It involves procedures and activities in which the surveyors are to participate.

NIAHO and DNV ensure innovation in hospitals by encouraging them to incorporate the best procedures that ensure quality services to patients (Curley & Vitale, 2012). Pharmacy regulations and standards of care related to pharmacy practice The regulations and standards for pharmacy practice are for the purpose of ensuring the safety of patients. Pharmacists have a responsibility for complying with standards by ensuring competence in their daily routines (Brown, 2006). This includes the cases when they offer information that involves drug use, conveyance, and management of a pharmacy.

The pharmacists are accountable for applying all their knowledge concerning the use of medication while conducting their daily routines (Brown, 2006). Pharmacists delivering patient care must comply with regulations provided by accreditation organizations. CMS offers procedures to accreditation organizations, which the persons offering pharmaceutical care have to follow (Brown, 2006). Persons responsible for offering care to patients are responsible for patient education and for making various adjustments to medications and therapies of patients.

This should comply with the regulations and guidelines that govern pharmacy practice (Brown, 2006). Conclusion AOA/HFAP ensures that hospitals and other health organizations comply with various safety and quality standards in the process of providing patient care. The accreditation agency approves or disapproves health organizations on the basis of its surveys. Approval implies the certification of the organization to indicate that it meets the desired requirements. The pharmacy regulations and standards serve the purpose of maintaining quality care in drug administration.