System Access – Down Time (June 18 – July 9, 2021)
Please note, programs will not be able to access their COAccess portals during system down time between June 18 and July 9.
The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) is excited to inform you of a business process enhancement that will affect all programs. The COA has been engaged in the development of a new COAccess system to replace our current system that has been in use for 13 years. We are excited to share the new COAccess system, built using Salesforce (the world’s leading cloud-based CRM software). The new COAccess offers a simplified navigation process, password reset, streamlined in-software communication, automated task reminders, and many other features. The new system will allow the COA to better support nurse anesthesia programs, onsite reviewers, and COA Directors.
The COA staff is working diligently to ensure a smooth transition for programs; however, this is a major undertaking that inevitably will result in some interruptions while the new system is implemented. The COA is making every effort to minimize any disruptions to programs and COA staff will provide the necessary support and resource materials to begin utilizing the new system on an as-needed basis on July 12, 2021.
Impact to Programs To effectively roll out the new version of COAccess, the current system will need to be shut off so that the COA can make the transition to the new platform. Our projected cutoff date for the existing COAccess system is June 18, 2021. Please note: as part of this year’s Annual Report process, programs will need to update their demographic data in the existing system by June 18. This step is especially important to review for completeness and accuracy prior to the migration to the new system. A checklist related to this process will be provided with upcoming Annual Report correspondence.
The following are important impacts of this down time:
- Programs will not be able to submit clinical site applications, make changes to program demographic data in the system, or submit forms through COAccess during the system down time
- There will not be any preliminary approval of clinical sites during the system down time
- There will not be any clinical site applications processed under the expedited review timeline between May 31 and June 18
- Any clinical site applications started but not yet submitted for initial review by the COA must be submitted by June 17 or a new clinical site application will need to be submitted in the new system after July 9.
- Programs will access the new COAccess portals beginning July 12, on an as-needed basis. Programs wishing to submit new clinical site applications, make changes to program demographics, or that have submissions due by August 2nd for review at the October COA meeting will receive training in the new COAccess system in July (see training details below). Programs should contact their accreditation specialist as soon as possible with any questions or concerns related to portal access.
Training on the Use of the New System (July 2021)
The COA is committed to ensuring that programs successfully transition to the new version of COAccess. The COA will offer a variety of training resources, including individual and group training sessions, reference manuals, and recorded tutorials. A training schedule will be published and programs will be scheduled for sessions based on the next due date in their accreditation process. The following is an estimated timeline for training:
- Programs wishing to submit clinical site applications: Ongoing beginning in July 2021
- Programs with October 2021 COA meeting submissions: July 2021
- Programs with Fall 2021 Self Study Submissions: August 2021
The COA is confident that programs will be pleased with the new COAccess application. If you have any questions about the roll out of the new COAccess, please contact your program’s accreditation specialist. The COA will provide additional notifications as the timeframe for implementation of the system approaches.
