NEW ACCREDITING AGENCY CMS approves new agency to hold Medicare-Deemed surveys for ASCs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has granted approval to a new accreditation agency to administer deeming status surveys to ambulatory surgery centers that participate in Medicare or Medicaid programs.

The Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) in San Francisco, Calif., can now accredit surgery centers across the country for Medicare- or Medicaid-Deemed status. This status is required for ASCs receiving reimbursement for treating Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Before granting approval, CMS says that it reviewed IMQ's standards of accreditation, procedures for training, monitoring and evaluation standards for surveyors, complaint procedures and decision-making processes for accreditation. CMS says it also visited IMQ offices and conducted an observation survey as part of its evaluation.

According to IMQ's website, the agency was launched in January 1996 as a not-for-profit group to improve the quality of care delivered to patients in California. Since then, it has grown to include accreditation and educational programs available to facilities across the country.

"Our physician surveyors are highly experienced in systems that promote optimal patient care," says Neal Shorstein, MD, chair of the IMQ Ambulatory Accreditation Program. "We are pleased that CMS recognizes our expertise and profound commitment to patient safety and high quality care."

Kendal Gapinski