Medicare and Medicaid programs; approval of the Joint Commission for continued deeming authority for hospices. Final notice

This final notice announces the approval of a deeming application from the Joint Commission for continued recognition as a national accreditation program for hospices that request participation in the Medicare or Medicaid programs.

[Criteria, indicators and standards of accreditation of tenured University professors in Spain]

The purpose of the work is to establish the criteria, indicators and standards of accreditation of the tenured university professors according to the opinion of Associate Professors and Professors. It is a cross-sectional study of the populations by means of surveys with probabilistic samples. The sample consisted of 1,294 university professors of whom 72% were Associate Professors and 28% Professors. The sample was selected by proportional cluster random sampling (the Full Professors' types and the fields of knowledge). A survey was used to establish criteria, indicators, and standards for each type of professor. The results show different standards according to the criteria in different fields of knowledge. Qualitative differences (according to the criteria) and quantitative differences (according to the standards) to accredit Associate Professors and Professors were found.

[Reflections on the Accreditation System of tenured University Professors in Spain]

The article analyses the way that Spanish university professors are selected. It emphasises the need to improve this system, as the examination processes in the last few years have been arbitrary. Since the University Organic Law was reformed, the current National Qualification process has been turned into an Accreditation System of tenured University Professors. As a result, guidelines are needed to guarantee the validity and reliability of the evaluation system. The guidelines focus on: (a) the criteria and the standards of evaluation ;( b) the evaluation process; (c) the candidates; (d) the commission members; and (e) the scientific productivity standards. Additionally, some of the aspects of the scientific policy related to the Accreditation System of tenured Professors are analysed and commented upon. These aspects are accreditation according to the offer and demand of the universities and the process of consideration for eventual access to the university.

[Accreditation of pharmacy education in Japan]

The need of society for professional pharmacists has been growing. In response to social needs, the six-year pharmacy education system, which is mandatory for registration for the examination to become a licensed pharmacist, was established under the Pharmacists Law and the Fundamentals of Education Act in academic year 2006. In accordance with the amendment of the Fundamentals of Education Act, it is obligatory to develop an accreditation system for six-year pharmacy education in Japan. The Committee for the Accreditation System for Pharmacy Education in Japan was set up under the Committee of Pharmacy Education Reform of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan to investigate the accreditation system and to draw up a draft of the evaluation standard. The draft was distributed at the end of January 2007 to request feedback from each pharmaceutical university and will be revised within the next few years simultaneously with trials for accreditation.

Public Health Laws and Implications for a National Accreditation Program

Public health law has been one of the leading contributors to the extension of life expectancy in the 20th century. Nonetheless, the legal infrastructure supporting public health law in the United States is underdeveloped and nonuniform. With national interest growing in public health agency accreditation, the individual legal approach taken by states may pose an obstacle to wholesale adoption of a proposed voluntary national model. This article describes the legal foundations supporting accreditation or assessment programs in states participating in the Multi-State Learning Collaborative, a project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Turning Point Model State Public Health Act is recommended as one option to resolve the current impasse, assist in acceptance of a national accreditation model, and provide a common public health legal infrastructure.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder accommodations for psychiatry residents

OBJECTIVE

With the increase in diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, it is expected that more resident physicians will require accommodations so that their academic performance and clinical competency can be measured adequately. The authors provide an overview of the requirements and issues regarding the provision of ADHD accommodations for psychiatry resident physicians as well as recommendations regarding policy development in this area.

METHOD

The authors review the symptoms of ADHD, proper documentation of ADHD, and the rationale and legal basis for providing accommodations to resident physicians with ADHD.

RESULTS

Executive functioning, attention, and affect regulation are three domains that could negatively affect the functioning of a resident physician with ADHD. Possible accommodations specific to each general competency are described.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to comply with existing guidelines, training programs should be proactive and have a procedure in place that 1) requires adequate documentation; 2) ensures confidentiality; 3) grants accommodations which measure core knowledge and not the limits of the disability; and 4) does not alter the core curriculum of the program.

Medicare program; hospital conditions of participation: requirements for approval and re-approval of transplant centers to perform organ transplants. Final rule

This final rule establishes, for the first time, Medicare conditions of participation for heart, heart-lung, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, and pancreas transplant centers. This rule sets forth clear expectations for safe, high quality transplant service delivery in Medicare-participating facilities. In addition, in this rule we respond to public comments on the proposed rule.