Could the new administration dismantle the JCAHO?

[suanna]

We are going to get a new president in the US one way or the other. Both parties have talked about the need to overhaul the health care system. Does anyone else think a letter writing campaign from staff nurses would get them to look at the JCAHO and the millions of dollars wasted trying to satisfy the endless regulations that organization keeps comming up with. I'm not saying hospitals shouldn't be held to a standard but the JCAHO seems to get farther out in left field every year. I bet the savings of health care resources from not having to chase our tails with paperwork constantly would more than save enough money to provide for health care for America's uninsured!

[heron, ASN, RN]

Unfortunately, JCAHO is not a government organization. It's confusing because accredidation is required for CMS payment. However, it's unlikely that the gov't will outlaw a private organization unless it's doing something illegal.

[suanna]

If JCAHO isn't a government sponsored org. the soultion is simple- assign some other evaluative body to accredit hospitals for medicare funding! Who put JCAHO in charge of this in the first place?

[Kyrshamarks, BSN, RN]

Actually accreditadation is NOT reqiured for CMS payment. In fact it is illegal for any insurance company or payor other than an individual to even ask if a facility is accredited.

[suanna]

So why does the hospital spend astounding amounts of time and money mantaining JCAHO certification? If it is meaningless for reimbursment what is all the whoopla about?

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0779.pdf

Joint Commission and CMS are intertwined. More so them most nurses realize. For example clinical measures are sent quarterly to CMS and Joint Commission to monitor quality. Failure to submit these measures equal a 2% loss of Medicare and Medcaid funding. Medcaid follows CMS protocols.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I'm in a CAH and we rely on the state for our evals. But we're exepmted from DRG's etc because we couldn't survive on those rates. We're also not JCAHO because we can't afford the dues.