SURVEYOR
community care
a conversation with
Vice President, Community Care Services Matt Hughes
You mentioned hiring Accreditation Nerds... The term makes us laugh, but in all sincerity,
But ACHC believes that accreditation shouldn’t be a burden, or worse, something to be feared. It should be an ongoing, supportive process that lasts throughout the accreditation cycle. We’re not outsiders. We’re your partners. We’re invested in your success. And we prove that by responding quickly to questions and connecting providers directly with experts. We take the time to hone our communications so they’re clear and concise. We find creative, engaging ways to teach new concepts in our workshops. Over time, those efforts have shifted the perspective of a lot of have-to organizations out there. Now they see accreditation as a critical path to improvement and a genuine value to their operations.
that’s exactly who we are. We’re unapologetically passionate about accreditation, quality, and compliance. Of course, hiring competent people is nonnegotiable. Our customer-facing staff—clinicians, regulatory coordinators, account advisors, customer care specialists— are the best in the business. ACHC’s program expertise is unmatched, employees who embody our culture that keeps the customer’s best interest in mind. Our people are personable hands-down. But expertise alone isn’t enough. We value
Matt Hughes joined ACHC in 2007 as an accreditation manager. Over time, his role increased in scope and responsibility, from business development to corporate strategy. In his current position, Matt guides the trajectory and development of ACHC Community Care Services which include nursing programs for home-based care, plus supportive services including home medical equipment and pharmacy. We sat down with Matt to get his take on what it means to offer smart, modern accreditation.
Looking ahead, how will ACHC continue making an impact?
Matt, your career has grown alongside our organization. How has that shaped your perspective? Watching ACHC develop over time taught me that true, meaningful progress is incremental. Change doesn’t happen overnight but strategic thinking and deliberate action lead to better processes, better products, and better outcomes. I’m a big believer in continuous quality improvement—the entire process, start to finish— because I’ve witnessed it. I know it works. What does ongoing improvement look like behind the scenes at ACHC? First and foremost, we listen. We’re constantly collecting and evaluating customer feedback alongside our internal quality processes, and that input has driven improvements across every part of our business.
But I think our commitment to improvement is also reflected in how we invest. We invest in new programs. We invest in maintaining ISO accreditation. We invest in hiring the right people—Accreditation Nerds! For the past year, our most significant investments have been in technology and infrastructure. We’ve been developing a new accreditation platform from the ground up. Our goals were better account management on our end and a more seamless experience on the customer end. After a lot of research, we concluded that building the kind of interface we envisioned meant developing software specific to ACHC. Now, as Navigator is being rolled out in phases, our in-house teams and our customers are benefiting from much
Our foundation is strong. For example, when CMS changed DMEPOS requirements, we were forced to pivot. We adjusted our process, our systems, our accreditation agreements, resources, everything. And we accomplished it quickly, because we have the corporate structure to make changes and meet expectations for regulatory agencies and for customers. As we look to the future, we’re asking questions. How can we help organizations become even more committed to improvement? How can our teams provide even more support? How can we partner with others to create even better solutions? We’re looking at how we can leverage technology, keep listening to our customers, and take our mission to the next level. I’m excited about what comes next.
and approachable. If a candidate isn’t open to engaging with others, they’re not the right fit.
How has ACHC worked to change the landscape of accreditation? Some see accreditation as a want-to, others as a have-to. The want-to set isn’t required to become accredited but choose to do it voluntarily. The have-to contingent seeks accreditation to meet regulatory or payor requirements. Have-tos usually see accreditation as an obstacle to overcome. They feel like the healthcare police are coming in to tell everyone what they’re doing wrong. We understand that the idea of an outsider coming in to evaluate your processes is uncomfortable.
better data access and transparency. Simultaneously, we’ve built a corporate headquarters designed to inspire
creativity. It’s full of design elements that encourage our staff to collaborate, to come up with new ideas, and to be innovative.
4 | Volume 2026 | No. 1
achc.org | (855) 937-2242 | 5
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