Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) Dedicated to delivering the best possible experience and to partnering with organizations and healthcare providers that seek accreditation and related services.

 Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) is an internationally recognized nonprofit accrediting organization that is uniquely committed to healthcare providers and governing bodies dedicated to patient quality of care. ACHC collaborates with industry experts to create relevant, realistic standards that allow providers to demonstrate a higher level of performance and patient care. The company’s accreditation surveyors are not only versed in ACHC standards and state/federal requirements; they have themselves been providers– hence ACHC’s motto: “For Providers. By Providers.”

Humble Beginnings

ACHC was established in 1986 by a group of home care and alternate-site providers who were seeking to create an accreditation option sensitive to the needs of small providers in North Carolina. Because they were up against competitors with a solid footprint in the industry, it was clear they needed a different approach. That meant focusing on community-based providers and on offering industry-best customer service and a friendly, consultative, educational approach to accreditation. Over the years, ACHC has expanded from one market segment, private duty nursing, to include hospice, home health, DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies), pharmacy (including the industry’s first specialty pharmacy accreditation as well as the PCAB brand of services), sleep, behavioral health and ambulatory care. Today ACHC has CMS deeming authority for home health, hospice and DMEPOS.

Milestones and Market Differentiators 

• ACHC is the first and only accrediting body to develop a formal International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality management system. The company undergoes annual site assessments and is currently certified to ISO 9001:2008 by TÜVRheinland®.
• In 2014, a collaborative agreement between ACHC and the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) was reached to leverage the infrastructure, pharmacy experience, and high customer service standards of ACHC to carry out the mission of PCAB into the future. Based on United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) standards, PCAB is regarded as the gold standard for compounding pharmacies who wish to demonstrate USP compliance. Some state boards of pharmacy, payors and PBM networks require that such pharmacies be PCAB accredited.
• ACHC boosted its compliance offerings in 2015 with ACHC Inspection Services (AIS) for organizations seeking to fulfill non-resident state requirements.
• In 2016, ACHC launched Accreditation University (AU), which is committed to helping providers prepare for and maintain accreditation through a variety of educational and consulting offerings.
• Starting in 2016, ACHC launched a series of accreditation distinctions, including a Distinction in Palliative Care for customers with home health accreditation, and distinctions specific to oncology and HIV for customers with specialty pharmacy accreditation (In fact, in 2000, ACHC was the first accrediting body to offer accreditation for specialty pharmacy.)
• In February 2017, the newly formed ACHC International, LLC began conducting home care accreditation surveys in Abu Dhabi, UAE, after Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) instituted an accreditation requirement for all Home Care agencies.

Conversation with José Domingos, CEO

What do you feel are the reasons behind your consistent growth?

We are a not-for-profit organization that has implemented for-profit business practices by filling an aggressive opportunity pipeline, maintaining high standards, providing superior customer service and pursuing evolving markets or segments. We have been progressive in our program development efforts and have formed strategic partnerships with industry leaders. We savor our victories, but only long enough to catch our breath before challenging ourselves to improve some process or to collaborate with some new partner with the aim of expanding our reach in meaningful ways.

Where do you see ACHC a couple of years from now?

I see our company continuing to respond to the dynamic needs for increased compliance and quality in the delivery of healthcare services. By continuing to improve upon and refine our current offerings and determining where market need demands our entry into new venues within the healthcare space, we will continue to expand both domestically and internationally.

It has become obvious that government and governing bodies will continue to diminish the financial and human resources needed to ensure quality of care and will be looking more to the private sector to fill that gap. ACHC is perfectly positioned from a resource bandwidth, a reputation for brand, and from a superior quality standpoint to be a part of the solution. Internationally, markets are evolving and many are looking to the US as a model from which to establish their own standards. If the success we have had in the United Arab Emirates is any indication, the model we deliver will continue to be very well received.

If you had to list five factors that have been/are the biggest asset to ACHC, what would they be and why?

First, absolutely, are our people. As a service organization, our staff and the service they provide to our customers is what determines our success. Next is an aligned purpose. The fact that everyone is committed to our mission provides for consistency and a commitment to our business philosophy. Third is trust. Our employees trust that senior management will lead them in the right direction and will position the company for long-term growth and stability.

Fourth is flexibility. We will change or create programs to meet market needs in order to help organizations improve and meet regulatory and governing body requirements. Finally, swift decision-making. We act quickly to capitalize on market opportunities and are willing to work with customers to make sure that our requirements are relevant and set a bar for high standards. This position helps us to be recognized as the quality market leader in most segments we serve.

CEO Snapshot

Mr. Domingos joined ACHC in 2011 as vice president of marketing and business development. The following year he took over as CEO. He has over 20 years of international medical marketing, project management, and sales management experience.

Prior to joining ACHC, Mr. Domingos served as the Market Segment Director for Becton Dickinson Diagnostics. He also served as Director of Marketing for the Surgical Division of Teleflex Medical. He holds an Associate in Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.