Joint Commission remains ASC accrediting agency
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has granted the Joint Commission authority to accredit ambulatory surgical centers to 2014. The commission standards for such centers were found to "meet or exceed" those for the CMS programs.
"This public-private collaboration between CMS and the Joint Commission provides quality oversight for ambulatory surgical centers, which are increasingly important as patients undergo surgical procedures in freestanding clinics outside of the traditional hospital setting," said Michael Kulczycki, Joint Commission Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program executive director, in a statement.
The Joint Commission has been the overseeing authority for ASCs since 1996. CMS estimated in 2007 that roughly 4,600 such centers participate in Medicare.
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