Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services Recognizes The Joint Commission's Critical Access Hospital Accreditation

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 10 Jul 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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The Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has again granted The Joint Commission deeming authority for the accreditation of critical access hospitals.

The CMS designation means that critical access hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission may choose to be "deemed" as meeting Medicare and Medicaid certification requirements. CMS found that The Joint Commission's standards for critical access hospitals meet or exceed those established by the Medicare and Medicaid program. CMS' notice of approval is effective through November 21, 2011.

"Critical access hospitals are an important safety net, providing Medicare beneficiaries living in rural areas with the care that they need," says Mark Pelletier, R.N., M.S., executive director, Accreditation and Certification Services, The Joint Commission. "The Joint Commission is pleased to collaborate with CMS to provide quality oversight for these important providers of rural health care."

Critical access hospitals have no more than 25 acute care beds and have an average length of stay of no more than 96 hours. These hospitals, which are typically located more than 35 miles from another hospital, receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicare.

Accreditation is voluntary and seeking deemed status through accreditation is an option, not a requirement. Organizations seeking Medicare approval may choose to be surveyed either by an accrediting body, such as The Joint Commission, or by state surveyors on behalf of CMS. All deemed status surveys are unannounced.

In addition to critical access hospitals, The Joint Commission has federal deeming authority for ambulatory surgery centers, durable medical equipment suppliers, home health, hospice, hospitals and laboratories.

Source
The Joint Commission