Soo Tribe health division awarded full accreditation

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE TRIBE OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS

************************* Sault Tribe’s health division awarded AAAHC highest accreditation

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI - (October 5) - Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Inc. (AAAHC) awarded the Sault Tribe health division a full, three-year accreditation in July 2007, following an April survey.

The accreditation signifies the health division’s commitment to high quality, patient-centered health care.

“The dedication and effort necessary for an organization to be accredited is substantial, and your organization is commended for this accomplishment,” wrote the AAAHC in its award letter.

Health Division Director Bonnie Culfa in turn commended her staff for their dedication and commitment to the provision of high quality health care to the tribal communities.

“You all did a fantastic job in preparation, readiness and continually striving for excellence,” she said. “I am so proud of all of you and very humbled to work with such dedicated team members that work so well, that collectively we impressed the survey team. Thank you all, and a special thanks to Joel [Lumsden] for his tireless work in heading up the process to keep us always in readiness for accreditation.”

The survey included all 10 of the tribe’s health division sites located within its seven-county service area in the eastern Upper Peninsula.

The surveyors physically visited eight of the 10 health division sites to look at the facilities and talk with staff about various organizational topics such as: policies and procedures, safety, risk management, infection control and quality improvement.

At the end of the survey, the team met with key employees of the organization to discuss their findings presenting them to the AAAHC accreditation board.

Based on the findings, the board recommended AAAHC’s highest level of accreditation, a full three-year accreditation, with only a minor plan of correction for several standard areas.

“The results of this survey are fantastic,” said Culfa. “We achieved scores of substantial compliance in all but three minor areas where we received a partial compliance. We had no areas of non compliance.”

AAAHC is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1979 and today accredits over 3,000 ambulatory care facilities.

AAAHC is the preeminent leader in developing standards to advance and promote patient safety, quality and value for ambulatory health care through peer-based accreditation processes, education and research.

Accreditation is a voluntary process that is a way to look at the level of health care quality that is provided within the organization.

“The ultimate goal is to provide high quality health care that will lead to improved patient clinical results for the tribal community,” said Joel Lumsden, manager of operations.

According to Lumsden, receiving AAAHC accreditation not only improves patient care, it also maximizes the collection of third party insurance revenues, which help maintain the operational cost of the entire health division.

Gaining accreditation is a lengthy self-assessment and application process that requires arduous preparation and a high level of commitment from organizational leadership and staff.

“To be successful, an organization needs to ‘live’ the accreditation process; it’s not something that can stop and start,” added Lumsden.

“Instead, it’s a way of life in the organization,” Lumsden said.

Following the self-assessment and application process, the organization is then visited by, usually, two surveyors who are qualified to assess the quality of the services provided.

The survey team measures the organization against more than 200 nationally recognized accreditation standards.

According to AAAHC in its award letter, granting accreditation reflects confidence, based on evidence from this recent survey that Sault Tribe health division “meets, and will continue to demonstrate throughout the accreditation term, the attributes of an accreditable organization as reflected in the standards found in the Accreditation Handbook for Ambulatory Health Care. The compliance with those standards implies a commitment to continual self-evaluation and continuous improvement.”

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