Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2012/11/26/2012-28640/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-approval-of-the-american-association-for-accreditation-of-ambulatory
Timestamp: 2017-08-23 20:47:53
Document Index: 456888717

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u2009488', '§\u2009488', '§\u2009488', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009416', '§\u2009488', '§\u2009488', '§\u2009488', '§\u2009488', '§\u2009488']

Federal Register :: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Approval of the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) for Continuing CMS Approval of Its Ambulatory Surgical Center Accreditation Program
77 FR 70446
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-28640 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-28640
This notice announces our decision to approve the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) for continued recognition as a national accrediting organization for ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) that wish to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs.
Effective Date: This final notice is effective November 27, 2012 through November 27, 2018.
Section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act provides a statutory timetable to ensure that our review of applications for CMS approval of an accreditation program is conducted in a timely manner. The Act provides us with 210 days from receipt of a complete application, with any documentation necessary, to make the determination and to complete our survey activities and application process. Within 60 days after receiving a complete application, we must publish a notice in the Federal Register that identifies the national accrediting body making the request, describes the request, and provides no less than a 30 day public comment period. At the end of the 210-day period, we must publish a notice in the Federal Register approving or denying the application.
On June 22, 2012, we published a proposed notice in the Federal Register (77 FR 37678) announcing AAAASF's request for continued approval of its ASC accreditation program. In the proposed notice, we detailed our evaluation criteria. Under section 1865(a)(2) of the Act and in our regulations at § 488.4 and § 488.8, we conducted a review of AAAASF's application in accordance with the criteria specified by our regulations, which include, but are not limited to the following:
An onsite administrative review of AAAASF's—(1) corporate policies; (2) financial and human resources available to accomplish the proposed surveys; (3) procedures for training, monitoring, and evaluation of its surveyors; (4) ability to investigate and respond appropriately to complaints against accredited facilities; and (5) survey review and decision-making process for accreditation.
The comparison of AAAASF's accreditation to CMS's current Medicare ASC conditions for coverage.
A documentation review of AAAASF's survey process to—
+ Evaluate AAAASF's procedures for monitoring ASCs found to be out of compliance with AAAASF's program requirements. The monitoring procedures are used only when AAAASF identifies noncompliance. If noncompliance is identified through validation reviews, the State survey agency monitors corrections as specified at § 488.7(d).
In accordance with section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act, the June 22, 2012 proposed notice also solicited public comments regarding whether AAAASF's requirements met or exceeded the Medicare conditions for coverage for ASCs. We received no public comments in response to our proposed notice.
To meet the requirements at § 416.41(b)(2), AAAASF revised its standards to ensure the ASC's transfer agreement is with a local, Medicare-participating hospital that meets the requirements for emergency services.
To meet the requirements at § 416.44(a)(2), AAAASF revised its standards to address the requirement that “the ASC must have a separate recovery room and waiting area.”
AAAASF revised its crosswalk to ensure that all regulatory references are correct for the following citations: § 416.42(a)(2), § 416.42(c)(2), § 416.44(c)(3), § 416.50(c)(1), § 416.50(e), and § 416.50(g).
To meet the requirements at § 488.4(a)(4), AAAASF modified its policies to ensure all personnel files are accurate and complete.
To meet the requirements at § 488.4(a)(5), AAAASF modified its policies to improve the accuracy and consistency of data submissions to CMS.
To meet the requirements at § 488.4(a)(6), AAAASF modified its policies to ensure all compliant investigations are conducted in accordance with the requirements in chapter Five of the SOM.
To meet the requirements at § 488.6(a), AAAASF revised its policies and procedures to ensure deemed status survey files are complete and accurate.
To meet the requirements at § 488.12, AAAASF modified its policies to ensure all pertinent survey information, including all surveys conducted, is included in the final accreditation decision letters.
To meet the medical record requirements at Appendix L of the SOM, AAAASF revised its policies to ensure surveyors review the required number of medical records during a survey.
To meet the requirements at Section 3012 of the SOM, AAAASF modified its policies to ensure follow-up, focused surveys for condition level noncompliance are conducted timely.
To meet the requirements at Section 2700A of the SOM, AAAASF modified its policies to ensure all surveys are conducted unannounced.
[FR Doc. 2012-28640 Filed 11-23-12; 8:45 am]