Recent federal arrests in a scheme to sell fake nursing diplomas serve as a critical reminder to home care agencies about the importance of verifying credentials for licensed personnel.

Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) has long considered credential verification essential to confirming quality and safety of client/patient care.

Home Care Standards

For home care providers, ACHC Standards require organizations to verify qualifications of all licensed personnel.

Standard HC4-2B: Personnel are qualified for the positions they hold by meeting the education, training, and experience requirements defined by the Agency. Personnel credentialing activities are conducted at the time of hire and upon renewal to verify qualifications of all personnel.

The standard applies to all healthcare professionals who furnish services directly, under an individual contract, or under arrangements with an Agency, must be legally authorized (licensed, certified, or registered) in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, and must act only within the scope their state license, certification, or registration. All personnel qualifications must be kept current at all times.

Credentialing information includes a procedure for the review of professional occupational licensure, certification, registration, or other training as required by state boards and/or professional associations for continued credentialing.

Tips for Compliance

• Your agency’s personnel file must contain evidence that primary source credentialing information is obtained and validated from the issuing state authority.
  • This helps your agency confirm that personnel credentials are valid, current, and/or have no restrictions imposed.
• ACHC recommends that your agency develop a tracking system to continuously monitor credential expiration dates and revalidation due dates for each licensed professional who provides direct care.

Here for You

ACHC is your partner in accreditation. For more information, contact your Account Advisor, email [email protected], or call (855) 937-2242, ext. 457.