Articles
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Effective Date Set for Revised ABN Form
The revised Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131, is now available to download from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Affected organizations must start using the updated ABN form by June 30, 2023.

Ambulatory Surgery Center: New Guidance on Your Facility Demographic Report
To help your organization meet requirements for completing Facility Demographic Reports (FDRs), Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) is providing guidance.

Pharmacy: Standards Require Credential Verification
Verifying pharmacy personnel credentials is important to ensure compliance with payor requirements and government regulations.

Palliative Care: Standards Require Credential Verification
Recent federal arrests in a scheme to sell fake nursing diplomas serve as a critical reminder to palliative care organizations about the importance of verifying credentials for licensed personnel.

Behavioral Health: Standards Require Credential Verification
Recent federal arrests in a scheme to sell fake nursing diplomas serve as a critical reminder to behavioral health facilities about the importance of verifying credentials for licensed personnel.

Palliative Care: Plan Ahead for the End of the COVID-19 PHE
With the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ending soon, affected healthcare providers, including home health agencies with deemed status, will need to make adjustments as they prepare to restore normal operations.

Demonstrating Separate Services for Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation
For home infusion therapy (HIT) suppliers, the Medicare Conditions for Coverage (CfCs) apply to an organization as a whole — including all clients/patients and not just Medicare beneficiaries.

Behavioral Health: Securing and Releasing Confidential Information
To minimize risk, ACHC Behavioral Health Accreditation Standards stipulate that your organization establish clear, well-defined policies and procedures for properly securing, protecting, and releasing confidential service recipient information.

Palliative Care: Meeting Requirements for Your Plan of Correction
To address deficiencies, an organization must develop an effective Plan of Correction (POC) and submit it to ACHC before a final accreditation status is determined. This is the final step in the accreditation survey process.

Privacy and Safety: Identify Patients At Risk
Patients have the right to receive care in a safe setting, and hospitals must identify patients who may be at risk of self-harm or harm to others. Maintaining a safe environment is a critical part of protecting patients and others