CMS to Conduct Hospital Revalidation Initiative
MARCH 2010
| The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will conduct a revalidation effort that will ensure current enrollment information from all hospitals. The revalidation focuses on hospitals that have not updated their enrollment information with Medicare in more than 6 years.
By regulation, a provider has 60 days to respond to a revalidation request by completing and submitting the Medicare enrollment application (CMS-855A or Internet-based PECOS enrollment application) and applicable supporting documentation (e.g., Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization Agreement [CMS-588]), according to CMS.
The CMS is encouraging hospitals to:
- Consider completing and submitting the CMS-855A as an initial application or completing and submitting the Internet-based PECOS enrollment application and supporting documentation on a voluntary basis. Note: By submitting an enrollment application on a voluntary basis, hospitals will avoid the time pressures associated with revalidation.
- Consider using Internet-based PECOS as the method of completing and submitting the enrollment application. If the decision is made to use Internet-based PECOS, then the hospital's Authorized Official should take a few minutes to review the "Getting Started Guide for Organizations" found in the Internet-based PECOS download section of www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll.
ACC Announces Appropriate Use FOCUS Community
 FEBRUARY 2010 | The FOCUS (Formation of Optimal Cardiovascular Utilization Strategies) Innovation Community is an American College of Cardiology national quality improvement initiative designed to help medical professionals use Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) to increase imaging appropriateness rates.
FOCUS is a quality improvement and innovation community for physicians to self-assess and gain quantitative feedback on their level of appropriate use, as well as share ideas on appropriate use criteria (AUC) implementation. FOCUS allows members to share strategies and help design systems to optimize utilization of cardiovascular imaging. Through participation in the community, facilities gain access to a shared list of tools and best practices that can be integrated into daily practice. In addition, community members will have access to a performance improvement module (PIM) that can document participation in FOCUS and help individual physicians identify their ordering pattern.
FOCUS examines a range of CV modalities including ECHO, CT and RNI, and provides online performance improvement tools and community learning.
To join FOCUS, please visit the ACC website or contact at focus@acc.org for more information. Download the FOCUS FAQ >>
WEBINAR
On Demand | Appropriate Use Criteria: Welcome to the Focus Innovation Community
Molybdenum-99 Shortage As It Relates to ICANL Accreditation
UPDATED JULY 24, 2009 | The Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. announced that due to the most recent data from the ongoing assessment of the National Research Universal (NRU) medical isotope reactor, the NRU will not return to service before late 2009. The 51-year-old NRU reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, which produces molybdenum-99m (Mo-99) used in the manufacturing of technetium-99m generators, went out of service in May after a heavy water leak was detected in the facility. The NRU reactor produces one-third of the world's medical isotopes.
Laboratories currently accredited by the ICANL are required to have protocols for all clinical procedures performed in the laboratory. Therefore, laboratories must have written protocols for any alternative procedures performed during an isotope shortage. Laboratories are not required to submit these protocols to the ICANL but must include them in their procedure manual. The ICANL encourages laboratories to maintain their high standard for quality imaging during this shortage.
Attention Nuclear Laboratories Using New Technologies
The ICANL Board of Directors has agreed to accept applications from laboratories utilizing new technologies and other novel imaging approaches that to date are not included in any guidelines published by the professional societies. These laboratories will be eligible for a one year provisional accreditation while undergoing additional review. Laboratories will be required to provide additional documentation, beyond what is included in the current application, which may include but not be limited to phantom images, clinical outcomes and/or correlation data and may potentially incur additional fees.
The use of regadenoson has been approved by ASNC and is in the process of being incorporated into the ASNC Imaging Guidelines for Stress Protocols. Laboratories using this stress agent consistent with approved protocols are eligible to apply for ICANL accreditation without any additional documentation.
To view the updated ASNC guidelines for stresstesting, go to www.asnc.org/section_73.cfm
HIPAA Compliance and Your Laboratory
 A
number of ICANL accreditation applicants, along with applicants
to other Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) sister
organizations, have recently inquired into what steps they should
be taking now in order to comply with the privacy standards
that have been promulgated under the Administrative Simplification
Provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA).
As many of you know, on April 12, 2001, Tommy Thompson,
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that
these standards would proceed to an implementation stage beginning
April 14, 2001. However, it is important to remember a couple
of points before considering any changes in the way information
is used, including in the provision of information to the IAC.
First,
although the standards have been finalized, entities covered
by the standards, such as vascular, echocardiography, nuclear
medicine and magnetic resonance imaging laboratories which engage
in electronic standard transactions, have two years from
the effective date to come into compliance with the standards. This means that covered entities have until April 14, 2003 to comply with the standards. HHS indicated in the Preamble
to the standards that it will not seek the imposition
of penalties prior to the compliance date.
Second,
in his announcement, Mr. Thompson referred to the possibility
of further changes to the privacy standards when he stated that
HHS will be issuing guidelines which "...will allow us
to clarify some of the confusion regarding the impact this rule
might have on health care delivery and access." He also
added that "...we will consider any necessary modifications
that will ensure the quality of care does not suffer inadvertently
from this rule." In fact, the IAC is currently working
with representatives of HHS to see that certain clarifications
or modifications are made to the standards to ensure that the
standards do not undermine accreditation functions and jeopardize
quality of care.
So,
in considering compliance with HIPAA's privacy standards, accreditation
applicants should realize in determining how and what information
to provide the ICANL and other accrediting bodies of the IAC
that they are not required to meet the privacy standards
prior to April 14, 2003.
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