Deemed status’ recert surveys still on

Initial certification surveys cancelled

While the six-month moratorium on new Medicare providers has caused the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to cancel 10 initial Medicare certification surveys as part of its "deemed status" survey program, recertification surveys are still going on as usual, says Judy Lukin, deemed status for health care organizations liaison at the Joint Commission.

"We are waiting just like everyone else to see what will happen," Lukin says. "No one knows what will happen in six months."

Approximately 1% of the Joint Commission’s 6,000 accredited agencies also request that their Medicare surveys be done through the Joint Commission, which costs an extra $1,595 if added to the accreditation survey. If the agency is already accredited and the surveyors are on site just for the recertification survey, the cost is more than $2,000 per day.