Accreditation is an opportunity for a home care business to achieve a higher level of performance and professionalism, which improves their reputation and ability to enhance people’s lives at home. Because, giving people the one thing, they want most – just another day at home- is a worthy and rewarding endeavor.

The National Institute for Home Care Accreditation, Inc. (NIHCA) Standards of Accreditation are specifically designed for your home care business. They create a framework that supports the trusted care you want to deliver every day. So, earning the NIHCA “Mark of Excellence” is about doing home care better.

The guiding principles of the NIHCA Standards of Accreditation are a gateway to:

• Safe, competent care meant to enhance client satisfaction
• Consumer and Employee safeguards to encourage confidence and build loyalty
• Effective service outcomes to enrich people’s lives
• A recognized reputable, committed, and credible home care business built on excellence, meant to inspire trust

Underlying these principles is the belief that first and most importantly you must have a stable, capable, and reputable organization. This organizational platform is the basis from which you can improve the performance of your business and launch it into a greater level of competency. Additionally, service specific standards are needed to assure that care is delivered by competent caregivers, in a safe manner, that care is appropriate to the needs, and service is compliant with recognized, established practices and standards of care. This new height of accomplishment is the core from which you can enjoy the benefits of accreditation.

This high level of credibility and competency is accomplished through a comprehensive self-analysis and peer review along with the support and advice provided by our collaborative accreditation process. Furthermore, it encourages the organization to maintain a remarkable level of trust, proficiency of care, and compliance with the Standards of Accreditation. Everyone can then be assured that the accredited organization is adhering to recognized standards of care that include the necessary safeguards to reduce the risks of care at home.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HOME CARE ACCREDITATION INC.

The National Institute for Home Care Accreditation, Inc. (NIHCA) envisions a home care system where trust, integrity, proficiency and excellence define every service delivered. Therefore, the mission of NIHCA is to promote competency, professionalism, and ethical practice in order to earn the public’s trust. NIHCA accomplishes this by establishing standards and qualifications that guide the delivery of safe, essential home care services and by accrediting qualified, principled home care provider organizations.”

ACCREDITATION PROGRAMS

The National Institute for Home Care Accreditation Inc. offers the following accreditation programs.

Basic Home Care Services: This is the basic accreditation offered by NIHCA that includes essential home care tasks in support of the client’s health, safety, well-being and independence. Personal care service is care performed by a trained and supervised paraprofessional employee where the assigned tasks and intent of the physical contact is necessary to carrying out the plan of care. Personal care includes tasks in support Activities of Daily Living (ADL). This may also include tasks related to a medical plan of treatment requiring professional judgement and delegation. Companion or Homemaker services involve companionship and the performance of household chores that are solely in support of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL).

If you are a “private duty” home care firm this is the program for you.

Private Duty Nursing: This is an accreditation program that can be earned on its own or as an add-on to the Basic Home Care Service. It is for skilled nursing care provided by a licensed professional Registered Nurse and is intended for treatment, therapeutic, restorative or curative reasons that is not covered by Medicare.

Private Duty Home Infusion Therapy Nursing: This program is for home-based Infusion therapy service. The IV clinician is highly skilled and is expected to be able to have the knowledge and skills for insertion, removal, care, and management of vascular access devices, to be inform on clinical decisions regarding device choice and venous access route and medication to be administered, as well as providing patient education and team communications. Infusion therapy is provided with attention to patient safety and quality of care within the scope of practice of the Nurse.

This is an accreditation program that can be earned on its own or as an add-on to the basic home care or private duty nursing programs. It is for infusion therapy nursing care that is not covered by Medicare.

Approved Dementia Designation: Finding qualified care for a loved one living with dementia, is not easy. For a family already burdened with the demands of caring for a member with dementia, making sure care is safe, competent and appropriate is very important. Moreover, Families want the peace of mind knowing their loved one is in safe hands. It takes special skills and regular professional support to assure the caregiver coming into their home is capable of providing the unique care required, and that care continues to meet the changing needs of the recipient and family. The National Institute for Home Care Accreditation Inc. (NIHCA) understands that being able to identify qualified help is essential to maintaining the person living with dementia safe and sound at home. This is one reason why NIHCA developed the Approved Dementia Care Designation.