The first two steps in obtaining Medicare Accreditation are for a home health agency to submit a Medicare Application to its Fiscal Intermediary and to apply to an Accrediting Body to enroll in its Medicare Accreditation process.
It will take on average about three months for a Medicare Application to be accepted. During this time an agency will complete its patient enrollment, provide its Accrediting body with materials requested and prepare itself for the Medicare Accreditation Inspection. CHAP and ACHC each require that extensive questionnaires be completed, the Joint Commission does not. The CHAP questionnaire is referred to as a Self-Study and the ACHC questionnaire is called a Performance Evaluation Review or “PER.”
Prerequisites for a Medicare Accreditation survey include the completion of the aforementioned questionnaires, the receipt of an acknowledgment from the home health care agency’s Fiscal Intermediary stating that its Medicare Application has been accepted, a successful test transmittal to OASIS and the admission of ten skilled patients.
The ten patients required for Medicare Accreditation need not be Medicare eligible, but if they are, they must be homebound. One of the ten patients must have more than one discipline (e.g. skilled nursing, plus a therapy or home health aide services). Patients admitted may be discharged, but at least seven must be active when the Medicare Accreditation Survey occurs.
Medicare Accreditation Surveys will not occur until an agency notifies its Accrediting Body that it has met the prerequisites and is ready for the Medicare Accreditation Inspection.
All Medicare Accreditation Surveys will be unannounced and all will be of three day duration. During this time the agency office, its personnel files and it policies and procedures will be reviewed. The Accrediting Body surveyor will seek to determine that Agency staff members have a understanding of the policies and procedures. Each patient chart will be reviewed and five patients will be chosen for visits. The Accrediting Body surveyor will accompany the Agency’s RN to determine that proper nursing procedures are being followed.
To learn more about our Medicare Accreditation and Medicare Certification services, contact 21st Century Health Care Consultants:
888-850-6932
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There is no such thing as Medicare Accreditation for home health. You are Medicare Certified, but never Accredited. Accrediting is only done through private entities.
+Kim Hammond
You need to attain Medicare Accreditation through one of the three appointed accrediting bodies (CHAP, ACHC and JCAHO). This accreditation will allow a home health care agency to be considered certified to care for medicare related patients. Thus called Medicare Certification.