How Does SCOPE Work?

How does SCOPE for Women’s Health work?

 

Who Can Apply

Any medical practice in which obstetrics and/or gynecology services are provided can submit an Application for SCOPE review.

Offices Are Reviewed Individually

Individual offices, even within the same practice or system, have unique cultures and may provide different services. Therefore, each SCOPE review focuses on a single office location. For a practice or system with multiple offices, each office must sign a SCOPE Participation Agreement, complete an Application (the questionnaire with supporting documentation), and pay the program fee. Each office would be eligible for review and certification individually.

Review is a Multi-Step Process

SCOPE review begins with an office submitting an Application (the questionnaire with supporting documentation), a signed SCOPE Participation Agreement and payment.  Applications will be reviewed and if an office meets certain criteria, a site visit is scheduled. At the site visit, the SCOPE site reviewer validates the answers to the questionnaire and the supporting documentation, through observation, interviews and chart reviews. In addition, the site reviewer will provide feedback and supportive education, as appropriate. After the site visit, the office will receive a written report. Offices that meet the criteria for certification will be granted a SCOPE Certification Certificate valid for three years from the date of issue.

Clinical and Non-Clinical Staff Are Included in a Review

Clinical and non-clinical staff, both full-time and part-time, are included in a SCOPE review. Clinical staff include physicians (MD or DO), nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, physician assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nutritionists, LPNs and other providers. Non-Clinical staff do not provide health care to patients and include office managers, receptionists, schedulers, billers and coders, janitors and other office personnel.

"Many aspects of office practice can be reviewed with a SCOPE assessment. In addition to looking at safety measures used for surgery, processes used to assign specialist referrals or to order and retrieve laboratory and radiology reports can also be examined," said John P. Keats, MD, member of the Committee on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement who led the development of the SCOPE initiative. "The goal of the program is to help Fellows ensure that the care they provide is as safe as possible."

How Certification is Awarded

Following the Congress’ review of the application, support materials, and site visit report, the Congress will deliver a written report of the findings, which will include any recommendations for improvement according to relevant Congress and/or College or subspecialty society guidelines. This report is template to match the application numbering system to assist the practice in focusing on areas of opportunity. The report will also include unique observations that serve to help the practice expand its safety initiatives.Please note that the application, site visit, and report are confidential. The site reviewer will make a confidential recommendation that the practice receive one of the following certification statuses:

1. Certification:

This is a time limited process. Certification will be for 3 years, and renewal must begin in the third year of a certification period. If a practice completes 2 consecutive three-year certification cycles with no major deficiencies or significant areas of concern, the next certification issued will be for a period of 5 years.

2. Pending Certification:

A practice can achieve certification by addressing deficiencies or areas of concern noted in the application and site visit process within 6 months of the date of the written report. The practice will not be required to submit a new application to move from pending certification to certification status, as long as resolution and reporting of the policies and /or systems implemented to remedy the deficiency and/or area of concern occurs within 6 months of issuance of a pending certification status. After a review of the practice’s measures designed to remedy noted deficiencies, assuming the measures are both sound and in use by the practice, the practice will be awarded certification status.

3. Holding Certification:

This certification status denotes practices where significant additional advances in patient safety policies and systems that the site reviewer estimates will require longer than 6 months to develop, implement and test are needed. The practice will need to reapply for SCOPE review when all noted deficiencies are appropriately addressed.
 

The names of only those practices that achieve a Certification status will be published in Obstetrics & Gynecology on a bi-yearly basis. Practices with a Pending Certification or a Holding Certification status are considered confidential certification categories, and therefore, are not eligible for publication. Practices achieving Certification status will also receive a Certificate for exhibiting in the office site certified, language that can be used in informational material about the practice, and receive invitations to ongoing refinement and development of the process with meeting of practice managers and physicians at the ACM and in other District venues.

If you want to review the application which includes all criteria for SCOPE assessment: Click Here

If you would like to review a presentation on SCOPE with your colleagues: Click Here

Or, if you have questions you would like to have our staff address, please contact us at , or 1-800-266-8043