Significant new standards for 2009 announced by AAAHC
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) announced its 2009 standards in December. The changes include three new chapters regarding medical home, behavioral health and lithotripsy standards, as well as revisions in the core and adjunct chapters.
Each of the three new chapters has defined criteria for accreditation for facilities that wish to be accredited within that field. Under behavioral health, for instance, the services in which a facility can be accredited include, but are not limited to, counseling, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, emergency consultative, outreach and referral services. Under standard revisions, the AAAHC has rewritten its Quality Improvement standards to include new standards requiring organizations to develop policies addressing non-staff in patient care areas, and now requires organizations to have written emergency and disaster plans.
"Revisions to the Accreditation Association standards reflect current best practices and are designed to enhance the high quality of patient care provided by the organizations we accredit. Ambulatory health organizations should be aware that there are some significant new standards and changes to existing standards in 2009," AAAHC Executive Director John Burke said in a release.
Read the AAAHCs full announcement on its new standards here.
Economy, reimbursement potential hazards for ASCs
The national economic slump, combined with changes to reimbursement from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), could be taking a toll on ambulatory surgery centers nationwide.
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association president Kathy Bryant was cited in a January Post-Tribune article saying that those factors and others are contributing to what could be difficult times ahead for the thousands of ASCs nationwide. With less money to spare, fewer elective procedures are being scheduled. Adding to the impact are CMS' reductions in reimbursement for gastroenterological procedures, many of which occur in surgery centers.
New Jersey referral legislation riles insurance association
New Jersey Senate Bill S787, legislation that allows physicians to refer patients to their own facilities, has raised alarms with the Property Casualty Insurers Association (PCI).
Passed in late-December, the legislation gives the power of self-referrals to physicians. PCI disputes the bill, saying in a news release that it "threatens the fight against insurance fraud and will drive up auto insurance costs and jeopardize patients' best interests."
"While on the surface, S787 appears to be an attempt to reform the practice of self referral by medical practitioners, the fact is it would allow doctors to pocket millions of dollars from improperly filed insurance claims," said Richard Stokes, PCI regional manager.
A counter bill was introduced by PCI that would retroactively exempt violators, or those who have engaged in past deceptive billing practices. PCI said New Jersey has the highest rate per capita of ASCs.
Read more news in AORN Management Connections.
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) announced its 2009 standards in December. The changes include three new chapters regarding medical home, behavioral health and lithotripsy standards, as well as revisions in the core and adjunct chapters.
Each of the three new chapters has defined criteria for accreditation for facilities that wish to be accredited within that field. Under behavioral health, for instance, the services in which a facility can be accredited include, but are not limited to, counseling, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, emergency consultative, outreach and referral services. Under standard revisions, the AAAHC has rewritten its Quality Improvement standards to include new standards requiring organizations to develop policies addressing non-staff in patient care areas, and now requires organizations to have written emergency and disaster plans.
"Revisions to the Accreditation Association standards reflect current best practices and are designed to enhance the high quality of patient care provided by the organizations we accredit. Ambulatory health organizations should be aware that there are some significant new standards and changes to existing standards in 2009," AAAHC Executive Director John Burke said in a release.
Read the AAAHCs full announcement on its new standards here.
Economy, reimbursement potential hazards for ASCs
The national economic slump, combined with changes to reimbursement from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), could be taking a toll on ambulatory surgery centers nationwide.
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association president Kathy Bryant was cited in a January Post-Tribune article saying that those factors and others are contributing to what could be difficult times ahead for the thousands of ASCs nationwide. With less money to spare, fewer elective procedures are being scheduled. Adding to the impact are CMS' reductions in reimbursement for gastroenterological procedures, many of which occur in surgery centers.
New Jersey referral legislation riles insurance association
New Jersey Senate Bill S787, legislation that allows physicians to refer patients to their own facilities, has raised alarms with the Property Casualty Insurers Association (PCI).
Passed in late-December, the legislation gives the power of self-referrals to physicians. PCI disputes the bill, saying in a news release that it "threatens the fight against insurance fraud and will drive up auto insurance costs and jeopardize patients' best interests."
"While on the surface, S787 appears to be an attempt to reform the practice of self referral by medical practitioners, the fact is it would allow doctors to pocket millions of dollars from improperly filed insurance claims," said Richard Stokes, PCI regional manager.
A counter bill was introduced by PCI that would retroactively exempt violators, or those who have engaged in past deceptive billing practices. PCI said New Jersey has the highest rate per capita of ASCs.
Read more news in AORN Management Connections.