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March 05, 2020

CMS Administrator Highlights Inconsistencies with Accrediting Organization Inspections

During a speech at the 2020 CMS Quality Conference in Baltimore, CMS Administrator Seema Verma shed some light on the agency’s future plans to enhance oversight of accrediting organizations. According to Verma, CMS has “identified inconsistencies in the way accrediting organizations inspect providers.” Specifically, Verma noted that “some [accrediting organizations]…use standards that differ from [CMS standards], which is simply not acceptable.” CMS has already sought public comment regarding the appropriateness of the practices of some accrediting organizations to provide fee-based consultative services for providers and suppliers participating in Medicare. Thus, providers and other health care organizations can expect that CMS will continue to scrutinize the business practices of accrediting organizations.