Accreditation is a tool that seeks to evaluate the quality of a healthcare institution, measuring it according to international standards of safety and quality of care. Furthermore, it also encourages the creation of a culture of quality and safety within the organization, promoting continuous improvements.

An “accredited” institution is a trustworthy and credible institution. Therefore, better understanding the characteristics of this process is essential for a health plan operator.

In this article, we will explain how the hospital accreditation process works and how technology can be an ally in achieving it. Check out!

What are the main characteristics of hospital accreditation?

According to National Accreditation Organization (ONA), one of the main entities that provide a certification model in Brazil, accreditation has three fundamental characteristics:

• it is voluntary, so the institution can choose to seek accreditation or not;
• it is periodic, so the institution has to be reevaluated to maintain accreditation;
• is reserved, so the information collected at the institution is not disclosed.

Furthermore, hospital accreditation also encourages continuous improvement. It offers a basis for improving management and internal procedures, having an educational and non-prescriptive nature.

At the health plan operator, it evaluates the services offered, the quality of service provided by associated service providers, the infrastructure, administration and internal processes and, finally, the level of patient satisfaction.

How does the process happen?

In general, the hospital accreditation process is divided into four stages:

• pre-evaluation, in which the health plan operator demonstrates interest in participating in the certification process and sends the required forms;
• the “on-site” evaluation process, in which evaluators visit the institution on scheduled dates. At this stage, they can interview any professional, go to any area and request any information relevant to the assessment;
• post-evaluation, when the institution receives a report with the findings of the “on-site” evaluation, with a certain deadline to request a review;
• the maintenance of accreditation, that is, the monitoring of the institution's actions during the validity of the accreditation.

What are the accreditation levels?

The healthcare institution can obtain accreditation in three levels, according to your score. See what they are below!

Level 1 — Accredited

When the operator has reached at least 70% of the established quality and safety standards.

Level 2 — Full Accredited

To be accredited at level 2, in addition to reaching at least 80% of the quality and safety standards assessed at level 1, the operator must also meet at least 70% of the integrated management standards.

Level 3 — Accredited with Excellence

The institution must meet or exceed 90% of the quality and safety standards and 80% of the integrated management standards. Additionally, it must meet at least 70% of the Management Excellence Standards.

How can technology contribute to achieving accreditation?

Technology can be very useful in achieving accreditation, contributing to the management development and the quality of service. Integrated systems platforms and management software — those who assist with medical audit and who take care of the internal administration of the health plan operator — contribute to the fluidity of internal processes, helping operators to meet the requirements of different levels of accreditation.

In this way, we saw how hospital accreditation can bring advantages to health plan operators, promoting reliability, increasing the institution's credibility among the population and encouraging continuous improvement. We also saw how technology and automation are important and contribute to the accreditation process.

And there? Did you like our content and are interested in finding out more about management technologies? Then, contact us! We will be happy to help you!