American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and ClearHealth Quality Institute (CHQI) Announce Joint Venture to Develop Next Generation of Telemedicine Accreditation Programs

Under the terms of the partnership, ATA's Accreditation Program for Online Patient Consultations will be repositioned as the Telemedicine Accreditation Program (TA Program) and will now be managed entirely by CHQI.  The TA Program will continue to promote patient safety, transparency of operations and adherence to all relevant laws and regulations; and recognize real-time, online patient health services which comply with operational, clinical and consumer-related standards.   CHQI will expand the scope of the original ATA program to enable more telemedicine providers to become accredited.

"ATA's collaboration with CHQI further demonstrates our continued commitment towards protecting consumers, supporting effective telemedicine interventions, and building the highest integrity accreditation program,"stated Jonathan Linkous, CEO, American Telemedicine Association.  "ATA and its members are providing telehealth solutions that are improving clinical and financial outcomes for the populations they serve.  The joint venture with CHQI – and the expansion of the online patient consultation program – ensures increased accountability, integrity and quality of programs and services being offered.

"CHQI was formed, in part, to find new ways to update the traditional approach to accreditation in healthcare," shared Garry Carneal, JD, MA and former CEO of URAC now serving as Board Chair.  "Many opportunities exist to rethink and improve how health plans, providers, and others meet quality-based standards and performance benchmarks.  Today, telemedicine services are not always easily or appropriately regulated due to the complexity of those operations.  CHQI is dedicated to creating new pathways to establish national measurement-based standards for emerging solutions in the healthcare marketplace."  Among other achievements, Carneal has supervised the development and launch of over 20 healthcare accreditation programs since 1995.

Approved organizations will proudly display CHQI's Seal of Accreditation, a benchmark to assure patients, payers and consumers that the organization's online patient consultative services meet the standards and guidance established for the program.  ATA will assume a pivotal role in helping CHQI draft and periodically update the telemedicine accreditation standards.  CHQI is supported by a Board of Directors, along with several standards and accreditation committees. Volunteer experts representing different stakeholder perspectives populate each committee.  The new organization also takes an educational approach to promoting quality operations and charges reasonable accreditation fees.   

For more information about CHQI accreditation application process and fees, please contact Julie Irons at (410) 696-7634 or [email protected]. 

About American Telemedicine Association (ATA) (www.americantelemed.org)

Established in 1993, ATA is a non-profit, membership-based association located in Washington DC.  Comprised of a membership network of more than 10,000 industry leaders and healthcare professionals, ATA is the leading telehealth association helping to transform healthcare by improving the quality, equity, and affordability of healthcare throughout the world. ATA hosts the leading telehealth conference and trade show for technology innovation and networking.  To learn more about ATA, visit http://www.americantelemed.org.

About ClearHealth Quality Institute™ (CHQI) (www.CHQI.com)

ClearHealth Quality Institute's (CHQI) mission is to promote quality-based practices for health plans, providers and other stakeholders across the United States and its territories. Our accreditation and certification programs help assess, track and report on trends to enhance key insurance and provider outcomes. CHQI also offers educational programs, publishes issue briefs and underwrites research to raise awareness of patient safety issues and promote best practices. The organization is governed by an independent board and committee system, which is open to a wide-range of volunteers to ensure transparency and accountability. CHQI provides resources to serve patients, providers, payers, government agencies, and other stakeholder groups. To learn more about CHQI, please contact us at (443) 440-6001 or [email protected].

MEDIA CONTACTS
Doug Clarke
(410) 696-7634
[email protected]

SOURCE American Telemedicine Association (ATA); ClearHealth Quality Institute (CHQI)

Related Links

http://www.americantelemed.org