The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) has launched a new accreditation program to establish industry standards for safety, quality and patient-centered home-based acute health care. It also announced its first accredited organization.

As health care organizations adopt new care models that respond to patient preferences, improve patient access and create efficiencies in service delivery, ACHC’s program supports this transformation by establishing guidelines and best practices for providers delivering hospital-level care at home.

“The health care landscape is transforming, driven by evolving consumer preferences and economic pressures,” Patrick Horine, vice president of acute care services at ACHC, told Home Health Care News. “A key trend is the rise of the hospital at home, where higher-acuity care traditionally provided in hospitals is delivered at home. ACHC sees its potential to revolutionize patient care, fueled by hospital-led initiatives and innovative home-based service providers. This program will further our commitment to providing innovative, high-quality care that meets patients’ evolving needs.”

The accreditation program specifically addresses organization and administration, program operation, fiscal management, human resource management, provision of care and record management, quality outcomes and performance improvement, risk management and infection safety and control, and patient-centered care.

“Evaluating home care standards requires a multi-faceted approach, so our program focuses on cross-functional strategies to enhance quality and meet individual needs,” Horine said.

The accrediting firm, based in Cary, North Carolina, also announced that DispatchHealth was the first organization to achieve accreditation for its home-based Advanced Care Service.

The Denver-based provider’s Advanced Care service brings hospital-alternative care into patients’ homes for conditions such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia.

“Accreditation has always been part of our vision, but we knew it was essential to first validate the Advanced Care model through measurable outcomes and demonstrable impact,” Lindsay McGuinness, managing director of clinical operations for Advanced Care, told HHCN. “From the beginning, DispatchHealth has been at the forefront of delivering high-acuity care in the home, and we saw an opportunity to contribute to setting the standard for regulatory and accreditation frameworks.”

McGuinness said a significant milestone for DispatchHealth was reaching more than 2,000 patient admissions in the Advanced Care program. With that volume, strong clinical outcomes and partner value, leadership felt they had the operational and clinical rigor needed to pursue accreditation.

“Remarkably, we received this accreditation five years to the day after seeing our first Advanced Care patient,” McGuinness said. “That milestone represents the journey we’ve taken to grow this program from a bold concept to a validated model of care. This accreditation validates that health care innovation and transformation can meet the highest safety and quality standards. It acts as a seal of approval, reinforcing the credibility of in-home hospital care as a safe and effective option.”

Aside from achieving accreditation, DispatchHealth collaborated with ACHC to shape the standards.

“One of the biggest gaps in this space has been the lack of clear standards and regulations for high-acuity care in the home,” she said. “This accreditation program marks a critical step in defining what it takes to deliver hospital-level care successfully outside the traditional hospital setting.”

Additionally, a multi-year extension of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver is expected to pass in the coming weeks. If it does, it will further enhance the opportunities for expanding access to in-home hospital care.