E&C Chairmen Seek Information on CMS Oversight of Hospital Accreditors

Republican leaders of the House Energy & Commerce Committee last week asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and four hospital accrediting organizations to provide certain information about the hospital survey process and CMS oversight of the organizations by March 23. “Although CMS has worked to strengthen its oversight of AOs, the committee is concerned about the adequacy of CMS’s oversight as well as the rigor of the AO survey process,” wrote Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess (R-TX), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Gregg Harper (R-MS). The chairmen also asked the four accreditors – The Joint Commission, Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality, Bureau of Healthcare Facilities Accreditation, and DNV GL Healthcare – to brief their staff on their survey processes and interactions with CMS by April 6.