CMS has said it will delay implementation of a new requirement that hospital boards include a medical staff member but will reconsider the requirement in future rulemaking, according to an AHA News Now report.
CMS has been "reconsidering the policy in light of the numerous comments" it has received since it published the final rule, which revised hospitals' conditions of participation in Medicare and Medicaid. One of the new requirements included in the final rule was that hospitals had to include a member of the medical staff on their governing boards.
CMS is now saying surveyors should not attempt to assess compliance with this requirement without receiving further instruction from CMS. The memo from CMS also notes that accrediting organizations with CMS-approved hospital accreditation programs are not expected to revise their standards or survey processes on the governing board requirement until CMS has addressed the issue further.
The American Hospital Association recently urged CMS to withdraw rule, saying CMS did not propose the rules before making them final.
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CMS has been "reconsidering the policy in light of the numerous comments" it has received since it published the final rule, which revised hospitals' conditions of participation in Medicare and Medicaid. One of the new requirements included in the final rule was that hospitals had to include a member of the medical staff on their governing boards.
CMS is now saying surveyors should not attempt to assess compliance with this requirement without receiving further instruction from CMS. The memo from CMS also notes that accrediting organizations with CMS-approved hospital accreditation programs are not expected to revise their standards or survey processes on the governing board requirement until CMS has addressed the issue further.
The American Hospital Association recently urged CMS to withdraw rule, saying CMS did not propose the rules before making them final.
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