The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) has announced that Atrium Health’s Mobile Integrated Health, Mobile Medicine from the US state of North Carolina is the first entity earning full accreditation under CAMTS’ Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Accreditation Standards. The first edition of the MIH Standards was published on 22 April 2022, and the first application took place in 2023.

For accreditation, a programme must first complete a self-assessment using a standards compliance tool. Once submitted, the standards compliance tool is reviewed for compliance and completeness before site surveyors visit the programme to interview the staff. Their report then goes to an Accreditation Review Committee (ARC) comprised of MIH subject matter experts. The ARC makes an accreditation recommendation before sending it to the full CAMTS board for final determination.

Eileen Frazer, Executive Director of CAMTS, commented: “We knew it would be a while after we published the Standards for programmes to apply and complete the process. Most programmes need as much as a year to prepare documents, policies and procedures, education records, meeting minutes, safety documents, etc. to meet the standards.” She added: “We ask for a lot of documentation and interview a lot of people in the programme as part of the process.”

Chelsea Lennon, Management Associate at Atrium Health, added: “Undertaking the CAMTS accreditation process proved invaluable for our organisation. It served as a comprehensive review of our policies and procedures, ensuring they were not only up to date but aligned with the highest standards of safety and care.”