FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program Sets New Standards to Improve Patient Safety at Hospital Discharge

(CHICAGO) - Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) has raised the bar on hospital discharge patient safety by developing new, more rigorous standards. Approved by the Bureau of Healthcare Facilities Accreditation earlier this month, the standards streamline discharge procedures, so errors and omissions will decrease significantly.

Patient safety standards at discharge will be evaluated during HFAP surveys, effective immediately, but actual scoring will not take place until Sept. 1, 2010. This will allow facilities enough time to develop and implement a process to meet the new standards.

"I believe our new initiatives raise the bar significantly," said Mike Zarski, CEO of HFAP. "Up until now, hospital discharges have been non-standardized and frequently marked with poor quality. With patient safety at stake, our organization worked diligently to significantly improve discharge systems."

New standards were needed urgently. A new study by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that between 1996 and 2006, physician continuity from outpatient to inpatient settings decreased in the Medicare populations. The lack of continuity of care between hospitals and homes or nursing homes contributes to reduced patient satisfaction, poor preventive health care, improper use of medication and high re-hospitalization rates.

HFAP's new standards were developed using the National Quality Forum's (http://www.qualityforum.org) "2009 Safe Practices for Better Healthcare" and the results of a two-year study funded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (http://www.ahrq.gov)

Focus is on effective communication between providers and patients as well as the utilization of a discharge checklist to ensure the best possible follow-up care for patients. The checklist also ensures that no critical elements are missed during the discharge process such as understanding of medications, follow up appointments, etc.

HFAP endorses the Re-Engineered Hospital Discharge (RED), recommended by the National Quality Forum. RED is like a pilot/co-pilot checklist. Examples of RED protocols include a written discharge plan, telephone reinforcement, patient education, post-discharge services, medication reconciliation, follow-up appointments, outstanding tests, and assessment of patient understanding.

And why should hospitals use RED? The protocols improve community image, meet safety standards, improve clinical outcomes, avoid litigation and save money.

The Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program is authorized by CMS to survey hospitals under Medicare. Hospitals accredited by HFAP are deemed to comply with the Medicare Conditions of Participation for Hospitals as published by CMS.

HFAP is a non-profit, nationally recognized accreditation organization. It has been accrediting healthcare facilities for more than 60 years and under Medicare since its inception. Its mission is to advance high-quality patient care and safety through objective application of recognized standards.

More information may be found at http://www.hfap.org.