CMS has approved The Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program for a shorter period due to concerns with the organization's survey processes, the agency said in a July 17 notice.
CMS approved The Joint Commission for another two years through July 15, 2022. The approval recognizes The Joint Commission as a national accrediting organization for hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid.
CMS can approve healthcare accrediting organizations for up to six years. The agency said The Joint Commission's shorter approval period is due to concerns over surveyors' performance, the thoroughness of their review and how survey processes align with CMS.
The Joint Commission addressed all issues about the comparability of its respective processes with CMS during the application process to regain approval, according to Mark Chassin, MD, president and CEO of The Joint Commission.
"The Joint Commission appreciates that CMS began an initiative last year to increase its oversight of all hospital accrediting organizations," Dr. Chassin said in a statement to Becker's. "We will continue to demonstrate that Joint Commission accreditation provides the nation's most state-of-the art and effective evaluation of hospitals. We look forward to our ongoing work with CMS to improve patient safety and quality of care."
CMS said it will continue to review The Joint Commission's survey processes across all approved accrediting programs to ensure all recommended changes have been implemented.
To view the full notice, click here.
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