ACHC Ushers in 2 Home-Based Care Distinction Programs

The Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC) has unveiled two new specialty credentials for organizations providing home-based care. The North Carolina-based accreditor now offers a Distinction in Age-Friendly Care for Home Health and Hospice and the Distinction in Outcomes for Home Health, designed to recognize excellence in patient-centered care delivered in the home. Recipients […]

Hospice Groups, AOs Speak Out on Proposed Accreditor Oversight Rule

Some accreditation organizations (AOs) have balked at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule designed to strengthen oversight of those institutions. CMS in February released a proposed rule that would introduce a number of provisions aimed at avoiding conflicts of interest and establishing more consistent standards, processes and definitions among accreditation […]

Care Planning Issues Top Lists of Hospice Survey Deficiencies

Amid rising regulatory scrutiny, issues related to care planning continue to top lists of the most common survey deficiencies among hospices. The most frequently cited deficiency is the requirement that each patient should have a customized care plan developed by the interdisciplinary team with involvement from a physician as well as the patient and family, […]

Hospice Leaders to Lawmakers: Strengthen CMS Oversight of Accreditors

Individuals in several states have been securing hospice licenses only to turn them around in a quick sale. A number of these hospices are accredited, prompting calls for greater oversight of organizations with deeming authority. A surge of newly licensed hospices has swelled in California, Arizona, Texas and Nevada. Many of these have been accused […]

Care Plans Will Be a Key Issue as CMS Updates Hospice Survey Processes

Hospices should be paying close attention to effective development and adherence to care plans when it comes to compliance in 2023. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented significant changes to the hospice survey process effective Jan. 1, including new requirements for surveyor training and assessment tools and conflict-of-interest protocols. With […]

Quality Data, Transparency Becoming More Critical to Hospice Compliance Under New Rules

Quality is a paramount concern as hospice regulation and payment continue to evolve. Quality and transparency will be critical not only to curbing regulatory scrutiny, but also to a hospice’s bottom line. New quality measures were among the major provisions included in the final rule for hospice payments in Fiscal Year 2022. The rule implemented […]

ACHC Launches Palliative Care Accreditation Program

Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) has developed a palliative care accreditation program for which community-based providers are eligible. The program is available to any organization that offers “a robust palliative care program,” the organization indicated.  The program’s accreditation standards are based on the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. The consensus […]

Accreditors Respond to HOSPICE Act

A proposed House bill, Helping Our Senior Population in Comfort Environments (HOSPICE) Act, could increase accreditors and U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) survey frequency from every three years to every other year for hospices. These provisions — and the public reporting of accreditation survey results — could weigh heavily on both accrediting organizations […]