CMS Extends Joint Commission's Deeming Authority
December 01, 2009
The Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved the continuation of deeming authority for The Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program through July 15, 2014, according to a Joint Commission news release.
The CMS designation means that hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission may be "deemed" as meeting Medicare and Medicaid certification requirements.
CMS found that The Joint Commission's standards for hospitals meet or exceed those established by the Medicare and Medicaid program, according to the release.
Accreditation is voluntary and seeking deemed status through accreditation is an option, not a requirement. Hospitals 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.
The Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program has held deeming authority since the inception of the Medicare program in 1965.
Read news release on The Joint Commission's deeming authority.
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