CHAP Accreditation
The Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1965 to define and advance the highest standards of home and community-based health organizations. CHAP is an accrediting agency with rigorous requirements which are based on best practices in health care delivery and patient safety.
CHAP offers several different certifications which are specific to the different populations requiring home and community-based healthcare. The following are the most common CHAP accreditations:
- Home Health
- Hospice
- Home Medical Equipment
- Pediatric Care
- Pharmacy
- Private Duty
- Public Health
- Behavioral Health
- Palliative Care
Why is CHAP accreditation difficult?
The process of receiving a CHAP certification is challenging due to the high standards and comprehensive evaluation process required. The Community Health Accreditation Partner audits a wide range of areas, including patient care processes, organizational structure, quality improvement, infection control, human resources, and governance. Each of these critical components has a set of standards to meet which are then meticulously reviewed by an external CHAP auditor. The standards that CHAP upholds are based on the latest best practices in health care delivery, patient safety, and medical research and technology.
Achieving CHAP Accreditation
There is a significant amount of preparation that goes into applying for accreditation and it is a very resource-intensive process. Organizations are required to compile substantial documentation, including policies and procedures, patient care records, staff credentials, training logs, quality improvement activities, and more, to demonstrate compliance with CHAP standards. An understanding of both an organization’s operations and CHAP’s expectations is critical to achieve accreditation. Recently, one of our customers, Family Lives, underwent the CHAP recertification process. Read on to learn more about their experience.
Family Lives
Family Lives’ mission is to provide professional, reliable, competent, and compassionate home health care services to people who have complex health care challenges. It is a nonprofit organization that operates 24/7, 365 days/year, taking care of hundreds of patients with an amazing team of nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech & language pathologists, and more. The work that Family Lives does is heroic, helping to keep children at home rather than in a medical facility.
In early 2024, Family Lives went through the Community Health Accreditation Partner recertification process for home health care. They were very well prepared and passed with flying colors. In addition to the in-home accreditation they had applied for, they were also surprised with a second certification.
Pediatric CHAP Certification
The CHAP auditor was so impressed with Family Lives that they were granted a pediatric certification, something they hadn’t even applied for yet. This pediatric certification, which the Community Health Accreditation Partner just launched a few months ago, was first awarded to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Family Lives shortly after. To this day (7/17/2024), these are the only two organizations recognized with this prestigious honor. Read on to learn how Family Lives successfully completed their CHAP audits.
Family Lives & FileMaker
Leveraging technology has been Family Lives’ secret weapon to achieving and maintaining CHAP accreditation. The organization had a custom application built because off-the-shelf software simply couldn’t handle the intricacies that Family Lives required of their solution. This custom database, built with FileMaker Pro, maintains accurate patient records, facilitates reporting and monitoring, and processes billing and payroll. Their meticulous documentation, all housed within their proprietary application, has been key to keeping compliance with evolving CHAP standards.
FileMaker Pro, a powerful database and application development platform, allows organizations to customize applications to fit their specific needs, which is particularly useful for meeting the detailed requirements of CHAP accreditation. Here are some helpful tips if you’re looking to invest in a custom application to help prepare your organization for CHAP accreditation:
- Design a database tailored to capture all necessary data for CHAP accreditation, including patient records, employee credentials, training logs, quality assurance activities, and compliance with specific CHAP standards. The flexibility of FileMaker Pro enables you to create layouts and fields customized to these needs.
- Implement a document management system to house and organize all accreditation-related documents, such as policies, procedures, audit results, and improvement plans. FileMaker Pro’s container fields can store files directly in the database, which can be easily accessed and reviewed.
- Develop a compliance tracking system within the application to monitor adherence to CHAP standards. This can include checklists, status reports, and dashboards that provide a visual overview of compliance levels across different departments or services within your organization.
- Maintain detailed training records for all staff which are essential for CHAP accreditation. These training logs can track the completion of required training modules, dates, and assessment results, ensuring that all personnel are qualified and up-to-date with necessary skills and knowledge.
- Utilizing FileMaker Pro’s capabilities for reports and data analysis can help identify trends and areas for improvement.Create modules within your application to manage and monitor quality improvement programs. This can involve collecting and analyzing data on patient outcomes, staff performance, and process efficiency.
- Prepare for CHAP audits by simulating scenarios, such as generating reports and records that auditors might request, conducting internal reviews, and ensuring that any corrective actions required from previous audits have been effectively implemented.
- Ensure that sensitive data is protected by implementing robust access controls and security measures. Define user roles with specific permissions to control who can view, edit, or delete sensitive data, crucial for maintaining compliance with both CHAP standards and privacy regulations.
A CHAP accreditation is a prestigious recognition. It signifies that a home or community-based healthcare organization provides top quality care and ensures compliance. Additionally, this accreditation can help an organization’s bottom line, as it’s recognized by insurance companies and other payors. While a custom application is an investment, it’s one that has the potential for significant return. Between the efficiency and the accuracy of their system, Family Lives has witnessed firsthand what a profound impact their custom billing module within FileMaker has had on revenue.
The Support Group has been developing custom applications for 40 years. Contact us to learn more or to schedule a free initial consultation.
