Accreditation

Subscribe to Accreditation

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is requesting public comments on actual or perceived conflicts of interest that could arise when Medicare-approved accrediting organizations (AOs) also offer fee-based consulting services for Medicare-participating providers and suppliers.  Such services — which CMS points out are not currently prohibited by law or regulation — may include:…

CMS has published a final rule that revises survey, certification, and enforcement procedures related to CMS oversight of national accrediting organizations (AOs), effective July 21, 2015. Among other things, the rule: revises standards for application and re-application procedures for national accrediting organizations; extends certain provisions that are applicable to Medicare-participating providers to Medicare-participating suppliers; modifies…

On July 15, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its plans to recompete the supplier contracts awarded in Round 2 of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program and the National Mail-Order diabetic testing supplies competition, as it is required by statute to do at least every three years.  The current contract period expires June 30, 2016; the new contracts will begin on July 1, 2016.  For the recompete, CMS is making changes to both the composition of the product categories (including adding new products) and the number of competitive bidding areas (CBAs).

The product categories to be included in the Round 2 Recompete are as follows: Continue Reading CMS Announces Plans for Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Round 2 Recompete and National Mail-Order Recompete

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued its second statutorily-mandated report regarding implementation of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) accreditation requirement for Medicare suppliers that furnish the technical component of advanced diagnostic imaging (ADI) services. The first report assessed CMS’s standards for ADI accreditation and the agency’s oversight of…

CMS is inviting public comments on potential future regulations intended to improve the safety and quality of services furnished by Advanced Diagnostic Imaging (ADI) suppliers. ADI services include computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine services. Specifically, CMS seeks suggestions on potential improvements pertaining to personnel qualifications, infection control practices, quality improvement programs, image…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has scheduled a workshop on March 20-21, 2014 to examine developments in the U.S. health care industry, including those related to implementation of health care reform legislation and other trends related to cost, quality, access, and care coordination. Specifically, the workshop will address the following five topics:

  1. Professional Regulation of

…

CMS is requesting public suggestions on potential improvements to the Advanced Diagnostic Imaging (ADI) program, an accreditation program mandated by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) that applies to suppliers that furnish the technical component of advanced diagnostic imaging services such as diagnostic MRI, CT, and nuclear medicine (including PET),…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified shortcomings in CMS’s implementation of accreditation requirements for suppliers of advanced diagnostic imaging (ADI) services under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). For instance, the GAO found significant differences among the accrediting organizations arising from the lack of minimum national standards, rendering it…

On April 5, CMS published a proposed rule that would revise the survey, certification, and enforcement procedures related to CMS oversight of national accreditation organizations (AOs). These revisions would implement certain provisions of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 that removed legal distinctions between the Joint Commission hospital accreditation program and…