Making Accreditation Work for You

CMS recently announced that providers must be accredited or have applied for accreditation by May 14, 2008, in order to submit a bid for the second round of competitive bidding, and that all providers must be accredited by Sept. 30, 2009, in order to continue doing business with Medicare.

Given these deadlines, now is an ideal time for all providers to sharpen their focus on some of the key issues associated with the overall HME accreditation process.

The direct and indirect costs involved in preparing for and maintaining accreditation continue to grow. In addition, providers are confronted with increasing challenges associated with a changing HME marketplace.

All providers, regardless of their current accreditation status, should seek to gain a better understanding of the issues and costs associated with preparing for and maintaining accreditation. Remember that the accrediting bodies are not the same: They do not have the same approach, the same process or the same fees.

Providers that plan well and do their research will be in a position to make more prudent choices among the various accreditation options. Moreover, they will be able to make more informed decisions on how to best utilize their scarce resources.

While it is not a given that competition among CMS' 10 approved accreditation organizations will increase with the recent deadline announcements, it is safe to assume that providers can (and should) expect more options and greater flexibility from accreditors when it comes to selecting an organization that fits their operational style and organizational structure.

Overall, most accreditation experiences tend to be favorable, yielding positive benefits for the majority of providers. However, the relationship between some providers and accreditation organizations has not always been smooth; stories of surveyors who are focused on tripping up staff or searching out flaws are not difficult to find.

Given the likelihood of increased accreditation options — and considering the challenging reimbursement environment — providers should expect a more customer-focused and educationally oriented approach to accreditation.

In short, providers need to ensure they are receiving real value from the process and not merely choosing accreditation in order to meet the Medicare requirement.

To gain a better insight into providers' thoughts on accreditation, HomeCare magazine, in collaboration with Lean Homecare Consulting Group, surveyed HME providers on both obtaining and maintaining accreditation.