Accreditation and Designation User Manual - OECI

THE OECI
Accreditation and Designation Programme and Manual
WHAT IS ACCREDITATION?
Accreditation is a process in which an independent organisation evaluates a health care provider and certifies that the
provider meets certain quality standards.
The oldest accrediting organisation is the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations (JCAHO), but
there are several others, in specific areas and various countries.
An accrediting organisation’s survey includes an evaluation of the Centre’s clinical services, as well as other aspects
of the Centre’s operations such as administration, personnel management and information management, research and
education.
OECI has specialised its A&D programme on multidisciplinary, global and integrated cancer care and research with a
major focus on comprehensiveness.
WHO SHOULD BECOME OECI ACCREDITED AND DESIGNATED?
Any OECI cancer centre that provides research, education, care services to cancer patients and that is willing to
become a recognised member of our OECI cancer community.
WHY SHOULD A CANCER CENTRE BECOME OECI ACCREDITED AND DESIGNATED?
More than 10 OECI cancer Centres have started the OECI A&D process.
Within the EurocanPlatform Programme 7FP Programme, all participating Centres will be requested to take part in
the OECI A&D programme. The OECI offers Cancer Centres who seek quality improvement and recognition within
the cancer community (patients, funders, regulatory bodies, governments, cancer health policy planners, research
partners) a tool to achieve it and a label of high quality care integrated to research and education.
WHEN MUST A CANCER CENTRE BE ACCREDITED AND DESIGNATED
The accreditation process is likely to take an average of 9 to 12 months, and longer in some cases. The increased
need for accreditation will place a heavy demand on the OECI. However the cancer centre should reach a minimum
level of quality and organisation in order to fulfil the process and be accepted on board the accreditation programme.
The self-assesment system provides a tool for estimating the readiness of the centre.
The OECI A&D team establishes a precise timeline agreed with each cancer centre applying for the programme in
order to allow the necessary time for the preparation and completion of the self-evaluation, peer-review, report and
final designation.
HOW DOES THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS WORK?
The cancer Centre that wishes to become OECI accredited should contact the OECI A&D team.
The Cancer centre must be a member of the OECI (or apply to become a member).
The Cancer centre must then review its existing services, practices, and policies and procedures to determine what
changes will be required to meet the accreditation standards (self-evaluation). The centre may apply for accreditation
after the changes are in place or during implementation. The cancer centre submits an application to the OECI A&D
with supporting documentation. The OECI A&D reviews the application and documentation and conducts an on-site
survey (peer-review visit). Based on the submitted data and the results of the survey, the organisation will determine
whether to accredit the cancer centre and the type of designation awarded. The Cancer centre should then develop
a plan, including a detailed timeline, for implementing the necessary changes, developing appropriate policies and
procedures and training employees (improvement plan).
The core of our A&D Programme self-assesment, external peer review, designation and follow-up are the OECI Quality
Standards and Quantitative Questionnaires that have been established and agreed by the OECI. These can be found in
the appendix of the manual and are accessible only to our OECI members.
The full process contains 10 steps (plus the follow-up) which are described in Chapter 5:
• Step 1: Application of a cancer institute in the programme
• Step 2: Payment stage 1 fee
• Step 3: Explanatory visit and preliminary designation result
• Step 4: Self-assesment
• Step 5: Go / no go decision
• Step 6: Payment stage 2 fee
• Step 7: Peer review visit and designation check
• Step 8: Reporting
• Step 9: Formulate improvement plan
• Step 10: OECI A&D Certificate
• Follow-up
An overview of the necessary supporting documents for the institute, auditors and OECI A&D Group are listed in
Chapter 6, followed by a summary of the essential obligations and tasks of the Cancer Institute in chapter 7.