Accreditation Policy and Reference Manual - eBook-Accreditation Policy and Reference Manual eBook

Accreditation Policy and Reference Manual eBook

Pdf Summary

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's (AASM) Accreditation Policy and Reference Manual provides comprehensive guidelines designed to support sleep programs in crafting policies and procedures necessary for AASM accreditation. This service-based accreditation model, which is more flexible, allows for a diverse range of sleep practice models to align with AASM standards. This manual advises on operations, personnel requirements, patient policies, and emergency preparedness to ensure high clinical practice standards.<br /><br />Key highlights include:<br />1. **Accreditation Standards**: The manual outlines standards for various sleep services, including sleep clinics, in-lab testing, home sleep apnea tests (HSAT), and durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers. Each service must adhere to these standards across personnel qualifications, patient care, and operational efficiency.<br /><br />2. **Patient Management**: The AASM provides detailed protocols for patient acceptance, ongoing management, and follow-up. This includes documented management of sleep disorders based on clinical guidelines and follow-up assessments to adjust treatments effectively.<br /><br />3. **Emergency Preparedness**: Each facility is required to conduct annual emergency drills (e.g., cardiopulmonary events) and have appropriate emergency equipment, like an automated external defibrillator (AED), readily available.<br /><br />4. **Quality Assurance and Improvement**: Facilities must implement a quality assurance program that includes regular evaluations to ensure ongoing service quality and adherence to set metrics. This involves ongoing assessment through metrics like inter-scorer reliability and patient management outcomes.<br /><br />5. **Staff Training and Compliance**: Staff must undergo extensive training appropriate to their role, documented and aligned with issued directives. Additionally, facilities must comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines in managing hazardous materials.<br /><br />6. **Protocols for Sleep Studies**: Detailed protocols are provided for conducting various types of sleep studies, aligning with current clinical guidelines, ensuring all aspects of in-lab and home sleep testing are conducted effectively and safely.<br /><br />7. **Risk Management and Adverse Event Reporting**: Facilities must maintain procedures for documenting and analyzing significant adverse events and updating safety risk assessments at least every five years.<br /><br />8. **Forms and Documentation**: The manual includes templates for tracking educational credits, reporting equipment failures, and logging significant adverse events to maintain comprehensive record-keeping.<br /><br />Overall, the AASM Accreditation Policy and Reference Manual aims to ensure sleep program facilities maintain high operational and clinical standards, with a focus on patient-centered care, safety, and continuous improvement.

Keywords

AASM Accreditation

sleep programs

clinical standards

patient management

emergency preparedness

quality assurance

staff training

sleep studies protocols

risk management

documentation templates