Technical Assessment and Audit by Andalusian Agency for Healthcare Quality (ACSA)

A new wave of technical assessment and audits to be carried out by the Andalusian Agency for Healthcare Quality (ACSA) has been planned

As the European Commission (EC) has communicated, the Andalusian Agency for Healthcare Quality (ACSA) has been selected as an Independent Assessment Body (IAB) to perform the technical assessment of a sample of ERN members’ applications received under the framework of the call for Interest for European Reference Networks (March -June 2016).

Below you can see the list of the MetabERN HCP that have been selected for this years assessment exercise.
List of MetabERN HCPs.

The choice of centers has been done independently by the EC, taking into account the size of the network and the country distribution.

Please find below some useful information on the assessment process:

Framework:
The European Commission DG-SANTE launched the 1st Call for European Reference Networks and Healthcare Providers on rare and complex diseases on March 2016. The Call closed on June 2016.

The first round of technical assessment carried out in 2016 was able to check only a sample of all received applications. At this point, ACSA is going to carry on with the assessment of the ERNs members’ application with a further sampling as established by EC.

Next steps:
ACSA has activated the assessment projects for the selected HCP’s in the computer application ERN-Assessment Tool. Each project contains the relevant information already provided by the HCP in PDF format: Self-Assessment Checklist for Healthcare Providers and the Application forms for Healthcare Providers and Networks.

The ERN-Assessment Tool includes an area to clarify the self-assessment, offering guidance on the type of information needed to demonstrate compliance against the specific operational criteria. Access codes and simple instructions to manage the application will be provided to the selected HCP Representatives.

The process will take place in 3 stages:

1. 13 July – 17 Aug: Self assessment clarifications. During this period the HCPs will be able to review the information provided in 2016.
2. 20 Aug – 31 Aug: Technical assessment of a sample of HCP established by EC. A team of assessors will perform a desktop review in order to assess the information provided in the specific operational criteria.
3. 10 Sep – 1 Oct: On-site audit for the sample of HCP established by EC. Before this period, ACSA will have been in communication with the HCP Representatives to establish the exact date for the on-site visit. Moreover, the ERN BoMS representative of the country where the on-site visit will take place will also be invited to participate to the audit.

Only if the HCP’s have positive reports in each phase of the assessment can they proceed to the next stage.

The assessment process has been announced and discussed in the last Board meeting in Frankfurt and has been mentioned in several newsletters, so we are confident that everything will be fine and successful.