Deadlines and Details

Providers who focus on the deadlines — and not the details — of the accreditation process can face an insurmountable level of deficiencies.

When HME companies try to complete the process in a short (often unrealistic) time frame, they encounter many problems. The longer a period of time you and your company team have to work on the process and conduct internal reviews and audits before your accreditation survey, the more successful your outcome should be.

For example, hurriedly gathering items required for personnel files can leave gaping holes. Surveyors often find that annual performance evaluations have not been completed, that orientation checklists are missing or incomplete, or that employees do not have documentation of Hepatitis B, either the vaccine or the declination. And there are many other required human resources items like these that can easily be overlooked when you're in a rush.

When an HME provider has adequate time to review the company's files with a checklist prior to being surveyed, the deficiencies can be noted, the corrections made and the needed documentation completed and filed. The day of the survey is not the time to find that your HR files are inadequate. But without taking the time necessary to review and audit, you might be facing lots of surprises on that day.

Common Survey Problems

One of the most common deficiencies found on HME providers' accreditation surveys occurs with patient record audits. For example, providers may get the referral for the patient and have a CMN or other billing document signed by the physician, but they do not have a complete order for the item.

This problem is particularly common with oxygen patients. The CMN provides a place to list the “maximum liter flow” the patient can receive, but this is not a complete order. Unless the provider hand-writes the complete order, or uses software that enters the information, into the blank area at the bottom of the CMN (such as “2 L/M via N/C continuous”), the provider must have a separate written order either on an order sheet, a prescription or other written means.

Having your accreditor's surveyor review charts the day of survey only to discover such a deficiency throughout your files is almost a guarantee that your company will have a poor outcome.