Compass Clinical Group Accreditation and Compliance Expert Urges Public Comment on CMS Joint Commission Deeming Status
Compass Clinical Consulting Accreditation and Compliance expert Ruth Elzer, RN, MS, urged hospital and healthcare leaders to answer the call for public comment by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on The Joint Commission deeming status for hospitals.
OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has invited public comment from healthcare professionals on whether the Joint Commission’s requirements meet or exceed Medicare’s conditions for hospital participation. The public comment period closes on July 27, 2009 at 5 p.m.
Hospital administrators will have the opportunity to comment on their experiences with the Joint Commission survey process and factors that may impact the deeming process with The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
RARE OPPORTUNITY
“The Joint Commission continues to work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to complete an acceptable deeming application for its hospital program. This public comment period represents a rare opportunity for hospital professionals to share their thoughts, real-world experiences and to suggest improvements to the deemed status application prior to its approval in 2010,” said Elzer.
TO EVALUATE EFFECTIVENESS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will utilize feedback comments to evaluate the effectiveness of The Joint Commission’s methods in demonstrating that all applicable Medicare conditions are met or exceeded. Comment categories include the following:
• Accreditation requirements
• Survey procedures
• Resources for conducting required surveys
• Capacity to furnish information for use in enforcement activities
• Monitoring procedures for providers found in non-compliance
• The ability to provide necessary data for validation
For additional information, read Ruth Elzer’s article, CMS Welcomes Comments on Joint Commission Deemed Status Application.
Related Links:
Hospital Near Death Experience: Medicare Decertification
About Ruth Elzer
Ruth Elzer, RN, MS, is a nationally recognized speaker and expert on hospital accreditation and compliance. Ruth is Practice Leader for Accreditation and Compliance Services at Compass Clinical Consulting Group and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
Media Contact:
Steve Kayser
Tel.: 513.241.0142, Ext. 112;
Skayser@compassgroupinc.com
Twitter://www.twitter.com/compasscc
June 29th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
My comment is: one or the other needs to align ALL standards rather than a select few that really didn’t need additional definition. We are struggling with informed consent as CMS requires the LIP doing the procedure to consent while Joint Commission allows an LIP with privileges to begin the consent process. We are a teaching hospital and the person beginning the consent process may not actual perform the surgery.
2nd example: Review of medications: Joint Commission does not require a reveiw if the LIP is in direct control of all processes involved. CMS requires that all medication orders be reviewed by a pharmacist unless it is an emergency or a delay would be detrimental.
We spend an enormous amount of time determining which standard to comply with since we must take the most restrictive approach.
Help!!