JCAHO announces new quality reports for 2004
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations plans to release quality reports on all Joint Commission-accredited facilities starting in 2004. The reports, which will replace current organization-specific performance reports, will include the date of each organization’s accreditation, a list of accredited services it provides, any special awards granted to the agency, and compliance measures implemented by each agency to meet the National Patient Safety Goals.
The Joint Commission held a series of focus groups to get feedback from consumers on what they feel is essential accreditation information, and based the new reports on what was learned from those sessions. For more information, go to: www.jcaho.org and click on "accredited organizations." Next, select "home care" then "Home Care Bulletin." Click on "March/April 2003." t
OIG reports on transaction and code set compliance
Ninety-four percent of Medicare Part B providers expect to be in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accounta-bility Act’s (HIPAA) transactions and code sets standards by the Oct. 16 compliance date, according to a recent report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The report, HIPAA Readiness: Administrative Simplification for Medicare Part B Providers, is based on the results of a mail survey sent to a random group of providers that submitted claims between July 1, 2001, and June 30, 2002.
One hundred twenty eight providers, including physicians, durable medical equipment suppliers, and independently practicing therapists, responded. Of the respondents, 90% say they either have or intend to develop testing strategies that include internal and external data interfaces. Approximately half of the respondents are developing contingency plans in the event their system is not in compliance by Oct. 16. Forty-seven percent say that vendors and trading partners might affect their ability to meet the deadline.
For the full report, go to the OIG’s web site: http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-09-02-00422.pdf.
Free caregiver resource available on-line
The National Alliance for Caregiving in Bethesda, MD, and Friends and Relatives of Institutionalized Aged (FRIA) in New York City have created a family caregiver’s resource on palliative care. The publication defines palliative care and explains the planning process necessary to ensure the best care for the patient. A list of questions that the family caregiver should consider is included to help the family member make decisions. The booklet can be downloaded at no cost from FRIA’s web site at www.fria.org. Just click on "publications," then choose "Palliative Care: Complete Care Everyone Deserves."
JCAHO announces new quality reports for 2004; OIG reports on transaction and code set compliance; Free caregiver resource available on-line
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