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Importance of accrediting bodies for public health

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) had launched the first and only
accreditation program for health departments in 2011 for all levels including local, state, tribal
and territorial ones. Several measures were in the meantime developed by the PHAB that helped
define the accreditation standards and required all the health departments at all levels to focus
their existing health care workforce and at the same time devise a plan to develop public
healthcare workers in the future too. The PHAB works with public health workforce thought
leaders and develops plans for long-term expectations from the various accredited public health
departments. These plans are made to cater for the requirements of the workforce development
in the future. Many government departments have completed the accreditation programs and are
now in the process of developing their own health care workforce in line with the accredited
programs (Kaye W. Bender, 2014). There are several standards included in these programs.
PHAB utilizes consensus-based decision-making processes to develop the standards. It usually
works with the help of many experts, think tanks, and committees comprising of individuals who
are experts in the field of public health and those who are involved as practitioners in those
health departments where the accreditation programs have already been applied. The Workforce
Development Think Tank (WDTT) advises the Standards Development committee. These think
tanks include not just individuals but any conference, institute or even a session organized to
figure out new ideas as well as strategies aimed at improving the standards (McGann, 2005).

ABHES is recognized to be the national organization that is a leader in healthcare

education. It is a not for profit accreditation agency which has been operating in the United
States since 1969. The organization is known to have made great contributions towards the
advancement of the quality of health education all along. ABHES evaluates health education
programs by using a systematic approach. It ensures that programs are offering quality and
accredits them. It also helps in the improvement of these health education programs. Standards
that have already been validated are used to ascertain quality levels of these programs. ABHES
focuses mainly on standards related to recognition of quality, the availability of resources and
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excellence in services to achieve its goals (Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
(ABHES), 2017).

In 2014, as far as all US residency programs for graduate medical education was
concerned, these were brought under a singular accrediting body called the Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The target year is 2020 for the
implementation of this program. However, this has generated a controversy as many doctors
trying to get residency in the US are wondering if they would be able to secure these positions in
view of the Single Accreditation System (SAS). However, it is yet to be seen if indeed this is
going to be detrimental for some international students (Chumley, 2017).

The competition for residency position would become fierce because of this move
however, it would not mean that the international students would not be able to compete. IN the
United Graduate Medical Education Programs, in both ACGME- and AOA-accredited
residencies, it is being observed that the number of residency positions is on the rise but that they
are growing at a slower pace as before. This contrasts with the number of medical graduates in
the United States who are increasing at a very high rate. Therefore, it is quite possible that this
unified US GME accreditation would have a direct influence on the pattern of Graduate Medical
Education in the United States (Jolly P, 2015).
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References

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). (2017, September 22). Retrieved
from ABHES: https://www.abhes.org/

Chumley, H. (2017). What does the Single Accreditation System mean for International Medical
Students? AUC Medical University.

Jolly P, L. T. (2015). Numbers of MD and DO Graduates in Graduate Medical Education

Programs Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and
the American Osteopathic Association. NCBI.

Kaye W. Bender, J. L. (2014). Public Health Accreditation Addresses Issues Facing the Public
Health Workforce. Science Direct.

McGann, J. (2005). Think tanks and foreign policy in the U.S. Philadelphia PA: Foreign Policy
Research Institute.