RALEIGH, N.C.--Having grown from one accreditation program in one state to 10 programs with accredited companies in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Guam, the Accreditation Commission for Health Care turns 20 this year.

In recent years, the organization has introduced accreditation programs for specialty pharmacy, fitter services, rehabilitation technology supplier services, medical supply provider services and respiratory nebulizer medication programs, according to ACHC President Tom Cesar.

"ACHC has also answered the question 'who accredits the accreditor' by having the distinction of being the only accrediting body certified to [the International Organization for Standardization] 9001:2000," Cesar said. "Part of our vision is to do things in a new way for accreditation that will improve the delivery of care and service for the consumer and also be a more effective way for the businessperson to run the business and become more profitable."

For ACHC, that means continuing the development of a hybrid accreditation standard that combines ACHC's own standards with ISO's, said Cesar. A beta test of the hybrid was completed last year (see HomeCare, "Katrina! What Went Right," Oct. 2005).

"The underpinning of ISO is a quality management system for excellence in customer service, and that's what we're trying to achieve," Cesar said. "We believe that in time the hybrid will prove to be something that's going to evolve into a new way of doing things."

According to a recent HomeCare survey, the accreditation business shouldn't be letting up anytime soon. Fifty-five percent of providers participating in HomeCare's "2006 Forecast Survey" said their organizations were not currently accredited, and 56 percent of those said they plan to apply within the next 12 months. (For more information, see HomeCare, "2006 Forecast," Dec. 2005.)