Although healthcare accreditation and regulatory bodies such as ONA are not recent developments in Brazil, the current landscape in the healthcare sector is still not as favorable as the market once expected.
Currently, accreditation is a voluntary process that can be requested by hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and other healthcare organizations. It is a voluntary assessment process designed to evaluate whether a healthcare institution meets the quality and safety standards established by accrediting organizations such as ONA, JCI, among others.
The pursuit—and ultimately the achievement—of healthcare accreditation provides numerous benefits to institutions, such as continuous improvement in areas like Quality Management, Service Safety, Process Management, and overall Governance, resulting in a competitive advantage, greater credibility, and increased recognition.
However, despite its benefits and advantages, only 8.99% of hospitals in Brazil are accredited. This scenario is largely due to the various challenges faced by the healthcare sector.
Challenges Faced in the Pursuit of Accreditation
The main challenges faced by healthcare institutions in the pursuit of accreditation are related to structural, cultural, and management issues, requiring significant changes in order to achieve compliance.
The lack of financial resources, in turn, directly impacts all of these aspects, as it is often difficult for institutions to maintain physical structures that meet the standards required by accrediting organizations.
Another common challenge is the difficulty in engaging teams with the goals and principles of accreditation, as well as understanding its importance. Promoting an organizational culture based on these principles is a long and ongoing process.
The lack of document control and process traceability is also a major obstacle, as these records serve as concrete evidence to demonstrate compliance with required standards.
Moreover, the absence of a department responsible for the quality of services provided can hinder efforts to organize the necessary processes and documentation. When there is no designated person or team accountable, standardization and control are unlikely to be implemented effectively.
Another critical factor that significantly influences the success of an accreditation project is the reassessment of processes from the customer’s perspective—deeply understanding their healthcare needs in order to establish a new standard of service delivery.
Advantages of Obtaining Healthcare Accreditation
Despite the difficulties and challenges, accreditation is a path well worth pursuing, as it brings numerous benefits to both patients/clients and healthcare institutions as a whole.
Process standardization, for instance, becomes continuous, ensuring that care practices and protocols follow the same high-quality standards. This improvement significantly enhances customer satisfaction while also facilitating the correction of failures and/or actions that may compromise safety.
Standardization also contributes to operational optimization and efficiency. An organized institution with well-structured processes can minimize waste, making more efficient and agile use of both resources and personnel.
Accredited institutions are also better positioned to develop their teams. In order to keep up with improvements across other areas, it is essential to continuously update professionals’ skills and competencies.
A culture of learning and innovation becomes embedded in the daily routine. Healthcare professionals are increasingly encouraged to pursue excellence in their roles and contribute to the improvement of processes and practices.
Risk management also becomes part of everyday operations, no longer a source of anxiety for leadership. The specific guidelines and standards required by accrediting bodies such as ONA enable risks to be identified, assessed, and, when possible, mitigated.
This risk mapping and control also influence decision-making, making it more assertive and effective, with a focus on the safety and integrity of both the environment and the patients.
All of these benefits are implied when we say that a particular hospital or institution is accredited. Healthcare accreditation adds significant weight to an organization’s brand and credibility, making it more competitive in the healthcare market.
As a result, the institution becomes more attractive not only to patients but also to qualified professionals who seek an environment where they can perform at their best and actively contribute in a meaningful way.
Interact Suite SA Can Help You Achieve Accreditation
Interact Suite SA is more than just software; it has the potential to revolutionize your company’s strategies and operations, especially if you’re seeking certification through accreditation.
Its modular applications, which make up the core product portfolio of Interact, include modules for Corporate Governance, Document Management, Audits, Processes, Projects, Risk Management, and much more.
The specific solution for Quality Management, for example, includes modules such as SA Governance Manager, SA Document Manager, SA Risk Manager, SA Audit Manager, and SA Occurrence Manager.
It supports both national and international accreditation levels, such as ISO, ONA, and JCI, while also enabling Total Quality Management.
Among its features and benefits, we highlight the alignment of strategy to operations, with modules that work according to BSC and GPD methodologies. It provides secure and transparent management through audit practices within a flexible and dynamic workflow, adapting to various business and audit models. It also generates reports and statistics for managerial and critical analyses, among many other functionalities.
Despite the current scenario of Health Accreditation not being so positive, a significant increase in the number of accredited institutions is expected in the coming years, mainly driven by the high demands from clients, health operators, and the market itself.
Therefore, start preparing today, invest in the right technologies, and become part of the new landscape of Brazilian healthcare.
Want to learn more about the topic and stay updated on industry trends? Watch the Webinar “Towards Excellence: The Search for Health Accreditations.”
