436th MDG earns gold standard accreditation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman William Johnson
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The 436th Medical Group recently earned Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation from The Joint Commission by demonstrating compliance with its nationally recognized standards and reflecting the 436th MDG's commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

The 436th MDG underwent a rigorous on-site survey in December 2015. During the survey, a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance with ambulatory care standards related to a variety of areas, including coordination of care, monitoring for procedures that involve use of sedation or anesthesia, infection prevention and control, management of medications and patient education and training.

During the on-site survey, the 436th MDG also earned Primary Care Medical Home Certification.  During the review, the surveyors evaluated compliance with standards related to how effectively the primary care clinician and the interdisciplinary team work in partnership with patients to provide comprehensive, coordinated and patient-centered care.

Previously, the 436th MDG was accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. The transition to the stricter Joint Commission standards is an Air Force-wide initiative and the 436th MDG is one of the first ten clinics in the Air Force to earn their Joint Commission accreditation.

Master Sgt. Karen Atiles, 436th Medical Support Squadron diagnostic imaging flight chief, was The Joint Commission project officer and oversaw the details leading up to the inspection. Atlies said the accreditation is a testament to the standard of care provided by the 436th MDG.

"The Joint Commission has much higher standards," said Atiles. "It took us months to transition over to their standards. We had the initial inspection and we were found to be within their standards."

The surveyors evaluated the 436th MDG for three days examining virtually every aspect of their operations. Surveyors observed a dental procedure involving a conscious sedation and tooth extraction. Appointment lines were monitored to observe the process on how appointments are scheduled by patients. One patient was followed through their entire experience, from scheduling their initial appointment to actually seeing their provider and receiving care. Other evaluations included interviewing clinic staff to find out their level of knowledge within the health care career field.

Atiles said there were other meticulous evaluations that you would probably not think of when receiving an accreditation. She explained how they surveyed how medical staff check AEDs across base, how fire extinguishers are inspected and how often the 436th MDG performs fire drills.

The 436th MDG received more than just an accreditation from the survey; they were also given the opportunity to give back to the health care community. The surveyors were so impressed with the 436th MDG's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, or HEDIS, performance improvement initiative they requested the project be shared  with the rest of the health care community.

"Our HEDIS Performance Improvement Initiative is going to be submitted to The Joint Commission's Leading Practices Library," said Atiles. "It was so good that the Joint Commission wants it submitted so other bases and other healthcare facilities can increase their HEDIS metrics the way we are."

Atiles explained the HEDIS matrix is essentially a report card for the clinic. HEDIS consists of 81 measures across five domains of care. Because the measures are so specifically defined, it makes it possible to compare the performance of health plans from one clinic to another on an "apples-to-apples" basis.

Even though the 436th MDG gets to wear the accreditation badge from The Joint Commission, Atiles said the patients are the real winners.

"I think moving towards Joint Commission and their culture of a high reliable organization is a step in the right direction," said Atiles. "It's not just a step in the right direction for the Air Force but it's for the individual, it's for you.  It's about each patient that walks in that door and taking the time to take care of their needs, that's the gold standard."