Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued proposed rule changes to the conditions of participations (CoPs) for critical access hospitals (CAHs). The changes are designed to promote innovation, flexibility and improvement in patient care among CAHs. WSHA supported the technical corrections and the inclusion of new requirements in areas such as antibiotic stewardship.
Supporting the American Hospital Association, WSHA expressed some concerns about rules related to three areas — antibiotic stewardship, medical records and quality measures — asking CMS to implement the rules with flexibility and to make sure the rules supported providing additional resources to help hospitals meet the new guidelines. Soon, WSHA will make available a comparative analysis comparing the current and proposed CoPs to help CAHs prepare for the forthcoming changes. If you have additional questions, please contact Brenda Parnell at brendap@wsha.org or (206) 577-1832. (Brenda Parnell)
