Compounding pharmacists have been bracing for USP updates for several years. Now released and scheduled to be effective November 1, 2023, the new USP requirements represent big changes. ACHCU has developed a comprehensive resource for compounding pharmacies to manage the changes. On this episode of the podcast, Greg Stowell and Karen Spano discuss the what, why, and how of the new tools.

Nursing shortages are in the news as the stress of the pandemic has led to retirements and resignations. Despite the stress inherent in this role, many nurses see their work as a calling; one that affords them opportunities to make a difference in many different roles in many different types of organizations. On this episode of the podcast, leaders from a hospital, a hospice, and ACHC answer questions about how they came to nursing and why they stay.

Guests

• English National Opera
• Josh Wilda, Chief Information Officer, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health
• Doug Lang, Vice President for Client Growth, Health Recovery Solutions
• José Domingos, President and CEO, ACHC

If there has been a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s the innovative solutions that people have found to maintain connection. In this episode of Beyond the Standard, we share the collaboration between the English National Opera and the British National Health Service to support post-acute COVID patients as they learn to manage respiratory symptoms and anxiety using vocal technique inspired by professional singers. Angela FitzSimmons also speaks with a hospital CIO about his approach to digital strategies to increase patient access to care, an executive with a company focused on remote patient monitoring, and ACHC’s CEO on recognition for telehealth programs.

Key topics

• Opera and telehealth 0:40
• “Remember to breathe.” 3:28
• Sheeba and Richard share lessons learned 4:40
• “Our relationship with HFAP has always driven what we need to be.” 6:54
• Telehealth success with COVID 12:19
• HRS origin story 25:45
• “A great way to stay engaged and ultimately lower hospitalizations and readmission rates.” 27:45
• HRS/ACHC partnership 30:45
• “The best and quickest medical experience I’ve ever had.” 34:05
• The impact of COVID 36:52
• Implementation of virtual surveys 39:53
• Benefit to patients 41:07
• Accreditation can have a significant impact on telehealth 42:26
• “Organizations that are doing it right stand out.” 44:48

Learn more at achc.org and at hfap.org

Why do so many businesses create mission, vision, and values statements and then figure that their corporate culture will take care of itself? In the inaugural episode of Beyond the Standard, ACHC CEO, José Domingos and HFAP VP, Meg Gravesmill talk with Angela FitzSimmons about how the merger of their companies was based on parallel cultures and why their shared approach will be a game-changer for healthcare accreditation.

Key topics

• Jose’s story 3:44
• Meg’s story 7:10
• “An organization that had a vision of where we wanted to be” 8:38
• Two CEOs meet 10:28
• A little history 11:59
• Complications from COVID – HFAP’s perspective 14:55
• COVID from ACHC’s perspective “We were lucky”
• “Generally, organizations sought merger solutions to financial challenges.” 22:10
• An historic merger between accreditation organizations 23:08
• Filling a hole 25:25
• A fear-free process 26:50
• “Growth is an element that providers choosing an accreditor should consider. Ultimately that growth path is a benefit to you. It will provide additional services in the future. it will provide an infrastructure that can support your needs.” 29:10

Learn more at achc.org and at hfap.org

Back in person for the first time in three years, the former HFAP Academy multi-track program offers focused sessions for hospital clinical/administrative staff, for hospital facilities management, and new this year, for laboratory management (presented by the LabU Symposium for Clinical Laboratories). On this episode of the podcast, Greg Stowell answers questions about ACHCU Academy.

Patrick Horine established DNV Healthcare as a player in the hospital accreditation space. Now he joins ACHC to lead a suite of facility-based programs that includes hospitals, ASCs, office-based surgical settings and CLIA labs. On this episode of Beyond the Standard, Patrick shares why he made the change and what he sees as the future for hospital accreditation.

Key topics
First impressions (2:04)
Mothers-in-law (5:23)
Leaving DNV (8:40)
“Very soon, we’re going to be that name that’s very recognizable” (13:19)
Mid-cycle reviews (16:18)
Being compassionate (18:42)
“It’s nice to have a relationship with your AO that’s not full of resentment” (22:29)

Our speakers are here to help.
Have a question about this episode or an idea for a future conversation?
Reach Ms. FitzSimmons at afitzsimmons@achc.org.

Guest
Tim Craig, Vice President and Chief Content Director, discusses how his organization supports conversation among thought leaders in the senior care sector.

For more than 20 years, Lincoln Healthcare Leadership has been working in the homecare/senior care space building a portfolio of conferences and opportunities for content and connection. Home Care 100 is designed to present content that aligns and resonates for the most progressive leaders in the industry.

Key topics
COVID-19 staffing issues are now a C-level priority (6:27) Pandemic tailwinds for this industry (6:59) Defining distinct “home care” audiences. (8:20) “Skip the SNF” (10:50) A trending horizon of rehab migrating to the home. (13:43) Is home health ready for higher acuity cases? Is the greater healthcare continuum ready for higher acuity are in the home? (15:18) Building relationships by aligning with value (17:20)

Our speakers are here to help.
Have a question about this episode or an idea for a future conversation?
Reach Ms. FitzSimmons at afitzsimmons@achc.org.

Guest

Barb Sylvester, RN, MSOLQ leads the Regulatory and Quality team at ACHC. She shares why she loves policies and her perspective on the purpose of a survey. (You might be surprised by what she says is the most important aspect.)

ACHC’s internal Risk and Quality Guru talks about policies, procedures, plans, and programs and how they work together to establish an organization that “can’t help but succeed.” Barb Sylvester joins Angela FitzSimmons to nerd out over quality.

Key topics

When I fell in love with “quality and regulatory” (1:55) Policies create guidance, consistency, accountability (3:08) Process takes it step by step (4:08) “People worry about us coming in and finding a deficiency. That’s not what we’re there to do.” (7:49) Achieving ISO 9001: 2015 certification as an organization (13:17) No need for a fire drill (16.00)

Our speakers are here to help.

Have a question about this episode?
Reach Ms. Sylvester at bsylvester@achc.org

Have an idea for a future podcast?
Reach Ms. FitzSimmons at afitzsimmons@achc.org.

Guest

Sonya Dunbar, RDH, MHA, is a TEDx and national public speaker guided by over 30 years of dental experience in private practice, skilled nursing facilities, and academia. Sonya and her husband, Gerald Dunbar (both Navy veterans), are the owners of Mobile Dental Xpress, providing comprehensive dental care to long-term care facilities. In addition, Sonya is a geriatric oral health educator providing hands-on training to Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) who work with aging adults. The co-founder of the National Mobile & Teledentistry Dental Conference and the American Mobile Dentistry & Teledentistry Alliance, Sonya is currently pursuing a PhD in Gerontology.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted issues of access to healthcare across the US and globally. With oral health as an example, Beyond the Standard, explores how innovative approaches combining mobile services and telehealth have bridged gaps in access and created new income opportunities providers with accreditation offering assurance of quality.

Key Topics

“The Geriatric Toothfairy” origin story (1:40) Pandemic accelerated range of mobile dentistry practice specialties (3:06) Access isn’t only for the underserved (4:42) “It doesn’t take away from the brick-and-mortar building.” (5:17) “Mobile dentistry and teledentistry go together like peanut butter and jelly.” (6:04) Starting a national organization, bringing mobile clinicians together. “Together we’re stronger.” (7:39) The oral-systemic link; combining mobile dentistry and mobile medical (9:18) Establishing the bar for quality of care through accreditation (10:15) The changing face of dentistry (14:05) One more question: long-term care workarounds during COVID lockdowns (16:45)

Our speakers are here to help.

Have a question about this episode?
Reach Ms. Dunbar at geriatrictoothfairy@800mdx.com

Have an idea for a future podcast?
Reach Ms. FitzSimmons at afitzsimmons@achc.org.

Connect with us. Has your organization’s use of mobile services and/or telehealth changed in the past two years? Share your organization’s approach on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, and tag ACHC.

Learn more about ACHC accredited programs at achc.org 

Sign up for e-newsletters focused on your healthcare setting. www.achc.org/e-news-signup

Guests

• Tatum Parmer, RN, Standards Interpretation Specialist, ACHC Acute Care and Critical Access Hospital Accreditation 
• Sateesh Prakash, MD, board certified gastroenterologist, Physician Surveyor, ACHC Acute Care Hospital Accreditation    

As a payor, CMS is interested in Utilization Review to evaluate the medical appropriateness of services (necessity of admission, length of stay, services provided) and has made it a Condition of Participation for hospitals serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Beyond regulatory requirements, utilization review has application as a planning tool for a broad cross-section of healthcare facilities. Utilization review in the broadest sense uses data to evaluate allocation of resources in order to drive higher quality patient care and greater operational efficiency. Tatum Parmer and Sateesh Prakash share their nursing/administrative and physician perspectives on its value.  

Key Topics

• Matching clinical needs to care delivered (2:36)
• “A perfect tool for recognizing bottlenecks” (3:41)
• Bridging resources and physician time (4:40)
• Nurses as gatekeepers (6:20)
• The impact of COVID-19 (9:58)
• “Front and center on the operational side” (11:50)

Our speakers are here to help.

• Reach Ms. Parmer at tparmer@achc.org
• Reach Dr. Prakash at sateeshprakash@gmail.com
• Reach Ms. FitzSimmons at afitzsimmons@achc.org

Connect with us. How has Utilization Review had a positive impact in your setting? Share your organization’s approach on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, and tag ACHC. 

Learn more about ACHC accredited programs at achc.org  

Sign up for e-newsletters focused on your healthcare setting. www.achc.org/e-news-signup

Guest

• Alice Bonner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Advisor on Aging, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)

“What Matters to You?” is a simple question to ensure person-centered care. Using it can create deeper personal connection between clinicians, patients and patients’ families leading to more meaningful care plans. Dr. Alice Bonner of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement discusses how this question has spawned multiple initiatives designed to drive shared decision-making across all healthcare settings.

Key Topics

• Introducing our guest, Alice Bonner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Advisor on Aging, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) (1:32)
• The difference between “what matters to you?” and “what’s the matter with you?” (3:25)
• A theme in patient feedback across settings (4:41)
• The vulnerability of the patient role (6:12)
• Drivers of patient-centered care (10:24)
• The impact of telehealth (13:03)
• National organizations engaged with this idea (15:48)
• The Conversation Project (17:10)
• Measuring the impact (21:48)
• Integrating with your quality program (24:30)
• “It’s not a heavy lift.” (26:17)

Referenced in this podcast

Barry, Michael J., Edgman-Levitan, Susan. (2012) Shared Decision Making – The Pinnacle of Patient Centered Care. New England Journal of Medicine, 366, 780-781.
What Matters to You?
What Matters(IHI website with resources)
The Conversation Project (IHI website with resources)
Center to Advance Palliative Care (Eliciting Patient Priorities via Telehealth)
Ariadne Labs

Dr. Bonner can be reached at abonner@IHI.org.

Sign up for e-newsletters focused on your healthcare setting.

Guests

• Erica Schneider, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care and Operations, Soin Medical Center and Kettering Health Greene Memorial
• Ken Goodman, LCSW and Board Member, Anxiety and Depression Association of America

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 20.6% of US adults experienced mental illness in 2019. In August 2020 – so about 5 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals reporting symptoms associated with anxiety or depression was 36.4% and in February 2021, it had climbed to 41.5%.

This episode of Beyond the Standard looks at the emotional toll of COVID-19 on healthcare workers at two hospitals and shares the perspective of a licensed clinical social worker specializing in anxiety and depression.

Key topics

• Awaiting COVID (2:50)
• Surge impact on nurses (4:30)
• “I’ll accept this calling.” (5:30)
• Self-care vs. family care (7:00)
• The double squeeze: short-staffing meets time off to be whole. (9:20)
• “I came to work to do my best.” (11:40)
• Time needed to heal (13:58)
• What makes anxiety or depression a clinical concern? (19:00)
• Anxiety and uncertainty (21:09)
• “Opportunity to engage with dark and scary thoughts” (23:00)
• Expectations for therapy (23:54)
• “We’re all in this together.” (26:16)

Referenced in the podcast

Massachusetts General Hospital: Guide to Mental Health Resources for COVID-19 

Anxiety & Depression Association of America: COVID-19 Anxiety Resources Quiet Mind Solutions

Learn more at achc.org.