Articles
For information related to a specific standard, enter the standard number in the search bar below. If no result is returned, contact your account advisor for guidance.

CMS Publishes Final Rule Updating CLIA Regulations
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published final rule CMS-3326-F to update Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations. Topics include the CLIA fee and alternative sanctions, along with histocompatibility and personnel requirements.

Got Safety Plans? Waterborne Pathogens Can Spread Infection
As essential as water is to any hospital, this crucial element also can be a threat to patient safety. Waterborne pathogens – including multidrug-resistant organisms – can spread in seemingly innocuous ways. Having safety plans is essential.

Personnel Background Checks Enhance Safety
Clients and patients depend on you to deliver excellent services in a secure environment. Performing background checks on personnel validates your commitment to providing safe, quality care.

Preparation Key to Effectively Handling Emergencies
ACHC Standards and Medicare Conditions for Coverage (CfCs) require organizations to develop an emergency preparedness plan.

CMS Changing CLIA Proficiency Testing Regulations
Staff and administrators of some clinical laboratories will have rules changes to keep up with in the months ahead as Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) proficiency testing regulations take effect.

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.

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.

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.

Changes to Know for Clinical Laboratories
COVID-19 tests and cholera testing remain current topics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a bulletin about a COVID-19 test recall and has approved four more at-home antigen tests.

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.