Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) - recognised international quality assurance agency. Currently, the process of accreditation of medical organsations is an important component of ensuring qualitative and safe medical care. The organisation of the provision of qualitative medical care to the population is a global challenge for the entire healthcare system.
Accreditation of Medical Organsations — an official recognition of the presence in a healthcare organisation of conditions for high-quality, timely, certain level of medical care for the population, compliance with the Standards in the healthcare system.
According to the clear consensus of the World Health Organization (WHO) quality health services should be:
- effective
- safe
- timely
- equitable
- integrated
- efficient
Goals and Objectives of International Accreditation
The goal of IAAR international accreditation is to assess and recognise the high quality of the activities of a medical organisation and the offered medical care in accordance with international accreditation standards.
The procedure for international accreditation serves the general purpose of assessing the quality of the activities of a medical organisation and compliance with international standards. During conducting international accreditation the specific legislation of the respective countries is taken into account.
The main principles of IAAR international accreditation are:
Professionalism and Publicity.
Voluntariness and Independence.
Objectivity.
Transparency and Reliability.
PURPOSE OF IAAR STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES:
The IAAR Standards and Guidelines for Medical Organisations – a key mechanism for assessing the quality of medical care, allows medical organisations to ensure the safety of medical care to the population.
The IAAR Standards and Guidelines for Medical Organisations are based on the principle of patient-centeredness and are aimed at developing and constantly improving the process of quality medical care, improving public health indicators, optimising medical care and the costs associated with the provision of medical care to patients in hospital.
The IAAR Standards and Guidelines are developed based on the requirements of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).
Competitive advantages of accreditation of medical organisations:
- Obtaining the status of an accredited medical organisation
- Increasing the competitiveness of a medical organisation
- Compliance with quality criteria and international standards
- Determining the level of quality and safety of medical care
- Ensuring the quality and safety of medical care
- Improving the efficiency of management of a medical organisation and the responsibility of personnel
- High professionalism of the personnel of the medical organisation
- Recognition of quality medical care
- Attracting more patients to use services
- Expansion of financial opportunities of the medical organisation
- Determination of a modern strategy for the development of an organization
- Building a system of effective interaction with other medical organisations to further improve the quality and safety of medical care to the population
STAGES OF INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION OF MEDICAL ORGANISATIONS
I. Submission of an Application by a Medical Organisation
II. Self-Assessment (Internal Assessment) of a Medical Organisation
III. Site Visit of the Expert Panel to a Medical Organisation for External Evaluation
IV. Decision-Making on Accreditation/Non-Accreditation
V. Follow-Up Procedures: Post Accreditation Monitoring
VI. Reaccreditation
- Submission of an application for accreditation to the General Director of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR).
- IAAR and the Medical Organisation make a decision to start the accreditation procedure. An agreement is concluded between the agency and the medical organisation on accreditation and the assignment of the status of a candidate for accreditation.
- The management of the medical organisation and IAAR organise training to explain the criteria and procedure for accreditation to internal experts of the organisation at special seminars on the theory, methodology and technology of accreditation.
- The medical organisation conducts a self-assessment in accordance with the requirements established by the IAAR and submits a self-assessment report to the IAAR.
- The IAAR General Director forms an expert panel to conduct a review of a medical organisation. The expert panel consists of 7 (8) experts who are specialists in evaluating medical organisations, including a foreign expert.
- Based on the self-assessment report of the medical organisation, IAAR develops recommendations on the need to improve the self-assessment materials, or decides to conduct an external peer review, or due to non-compliance with the criteria for the impossibility of accreditation, and decides to terminate the contract.
- In case of continuation of accreditation, the chairman of the expert panel and IAAR will agree with the medical organisation on the terms of accreditation and the work plan of the panel.
- The duration of the panel's visit is 3-5 days. At the end of the site visit, the external expert panel prepares a detailed report on the assessment of the medical organisation, which serves as the basis for making a decision on accreditation by the Accreditation Council.
- If a positive decision is made, IAAR sends a certificate of accreditation, signed by the IAAR General Director, to the medical organisation with an indication of the validity period. Further, the decision on accreditation of the organisation is posted on the IAAR website.
Public discussion of the 1st version of INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR ACCREDITATION OF HOSPITAL TYPE MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS (for details please follow this link)
Final version of INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR ACCREDITATION OF HOSPITAL TYPE MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS (click here to read)