The Joint Commission receives continued recognition by CMS to accredit ASCs
The Joint Commission announced it has received continued recognition from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to accredit ambulatory surgery centers seeking participation in Medicare or Medicaid programs. The deeming recognition is effective December 20, 2020 through December 20, 2024.
By renewing the deeming recognition, CMS determined that The Joint Commission’s accreditation standards and survey process meet or exceed those established by CMS. Accreditation is voluntary and seeking deemed status through accreditation is an option. Organizations seeking deemed status may choose to be surveyed either by an accrediting organization or state surveyors on behalf of CMS. All deemed status surveys are unannounced.
“The continued deeming recognition from CMS will allow us to continue to work closely with ambulatory surgery centers across the nation to achieve and maintain accreditation to improve patient safety and quality of care,” says Pearl Darling, MBA, executive director, Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program, The Joint Commission. “Accreditation has been particularly valuable over the past several months as many ambulatory organizations have utilized our required infection prevention and control and emergency management plans to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19.”
The Joint Commission launched its Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program in 1975 and currently accredits more than 2,200 freestanding ambulatory care organizations. Joint Commission surveyors are experts in their field. Ambulatory care surveyors have at least five years of leadership experience in an ambulatory care organization, as well as advanced medical or clinical degrees.
