Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp

Course Overview

Accreditation and quality professionals are being asked to do more than ever. Our expert instructors can help you with that.

The Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp is a thorough two-and-a-half day course that provides survey coordinators and accreditation and quality professionals with best practices for survey prep, training, and overall management.

We call it a boot camp because it’s focused, in-depth training and when you finish the class, you’ll be an accreditation expert and feel completely prepared to handle whatever your organization needs. Plus, you will leave with an entire catalogue of tools, templates, and resources that you can use at your organization. 

The Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp provides in-depth explanations of CMS and Joint Commission requirements, and briefly covers HFAP and DNV standards if students are accredited by those bodies. Instructors focus on teaching participants how to integrate continuous survey readiness into daily operations.

At this Boot Camp, you will obtain the core skills necessary to:

• Identify organizational weaknesses to improve survey results
• Know which regulations are applicable to your organization
• Interpret accreditation standards and regulations
• Maintain organizational readiness and identify vulnerabilities
• Implement continuous survey readiness plans
• Coordinate site visits
• Identify future trends likely to affect organizational compliance, thereby maintaining facility accreditation and ultimately providing quality patient care
• Respond to survey results, findings, and Requirements for Improvement

Every class is taught by the industry's top instructors who have years of real-world experience and expertise in accreditation professional education. You will leave the Boot Camp feeling more confident in your role and your ability to manage successful accreditation surveys.

Other unique features of this Boot Camp include:

• Custom-designed course materials: All course materials were custom developed for the Boot Camp's intensive learning format
• Take-home tools: Head home armed with customizable tools that will save you time
• Hands-on teaching methods: Each course module includes exercises that are reviewed and discussed in class
• Small class size: The number of participants is limited to retain a low student-teacher ratio

Looking to train your whole team? We can bring our expert instructors to you! Learn more here!

Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp

Course Outline/Agenda

Day 1:
Getting Started

• Building a foundation
• Understanding the sources of truth
• Learning the essentials of standards and CoPs

Day 2:
Accessing Information/Gaining Knowledge

• Developing expertise and credibility
• Promoting collaborative relationships
• Identifying operational partners

Implementation: Part 1

• Continuous survey readiness overview
• Planning an approach to continuous readiness—The Joint Commission chapter by chapter
• Creating an assessment structure
• Creating a “go to green” action plan

Implementation: Part 2

• Preparing for the surveyor’s arrival
• Response to an unannounced survey
• Managing a successful survey

Day 3:
Implementation and Ongoing Follow-Up: Part 3

• After the survey
• Addressing RFIs and OFIs
• Determining clarification opportunities
• Formulating successful clarifications
• Keep it going through performance improvement

Course Outline-Agenda subject to change.

Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this course, the participant will be able to:

• Outline The Joint Commission’s hospital standards and CMS’ Conditions of Participation (CoP)
• Explain a survey coordinator’s responsibilities
• Apply The Joint Commission’s standards/CoPs to everyday practices
• Develop strategies to communicate survey readiness to staff
• Utilize specific educational protocols to inform hospital leadership of their integral role in survey readiness
• Implement solutions to many of The Joint Commission’s most challenging requirements
• Include general management skills in the accreditation professional role
• Develop a plan to maintain awareness and implementation of new and evolving standards
• Employ methods to assess organizational readiness
• Identify vulnerabilities for future surveys
• Recognize documentation challenges
• Design strategies for improving existing documentation practices

Continuing Education

This educational activity for 18.75 nursing contact hours is provided by HCPro.

California Board of Registered Nursing
HCPro is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing to provide 22.5 nursing contact hours. California BRN Provider #CEP 14494.

Disclosure Statement:
HCPro has confirmed that none of the faculty/presenters, planners, or contributors have any relevant financial relationships to disclose related to the content of this educational activity.

Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp

Questions/Answers

What is the focus of the Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp?
The Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp is an intensive two-and-a-half day course that teaches newer survey coordinators everything they need to know to do their jobs and provides a standards update for more experienced survey professionals. It covers Joint Commission and CMS requirements and teaches best practices for survey prep, training, and overall management.

Where is the course offered?
Open registration courses are offered at various locations around the country, typically at mid-priced business hotels such as Hyatt Place or Hilton Garden Inn. For a current schedule of upcoming open registration courses, click on “Course Locations/Dates.”

Does HCPro offer this course on-site?
In addition to our open registration courses, we also offer the Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp as an on-site course (with a substantial discount) for organizations that have a number of employees who need training. For more information on hosting an on-site course at your facility/offices, call 877-233-8734 or email sales@hcpro.com.

What if I need to cancel or transfer my registration?
Cancellation Policy
Please click here to view our cancellation policy. 

Who should attend this course?

• Survey coordinators
• Accreditation professionals
• Regulatory specialists
• Chapter leaders
• Nursing administration
• Quality improvement specialists
• Directors of quality

What do I need to know prior to attending?
Please read further with our Get Ready for Class outline.

What material does the course cover?
Click on “Course Outline” for more information about the topics covered by this Boot Camp.

Does the course require any experience or training?
No. However, because of the fast-paced nature of this course, it is recommended (but not required) that participants have at least one year of experience working in a hospital. This course is taught on a basic to intermediate level.

How is the course taught?
The course is taught using a combination of lecture, class discussion, and hands-on exercises/case studies.

What do I need to bring to class?

• Highlighter
• Sticky notes
• Pen/pencil
• Optional: Standards manual (print or electronic) for the program that accredits your organization (this is not required, but some students find it helpful to reference the standards during class)

Does HCPro ever share contact information (e.g., name, address, phone number, email address, etc.) with other companies?
Historically, we have not shared contact information with anyone outside of our company. However, it is possible that at some point we might share contact information with other companies that offer products and services that we think would be of interest to our customers. If you would like us to keep your contact information confidential, please let us know so that we can flag your information in our customer database as "Do Not Share."

How do I get more information? 
Contact us at 615-724-7200 or email sales@hcpro.com.

Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp

COVID Safety

Simplify Compliance and HCPro place the highest priority on the safety of our guests. Simplify Compliance and HCPro will continue to monitor the COVID-19 environment and the recommended guidelines and will communicate adjustments to any onsite policies and procedures outlined in the Getting Ready for Class document that will be emailed to attendees one week and one business day prior to the class.