Page 22 - HME Business, February 2018

The Time is Now
Working With Your AO
The AOs have certainly readied themselves for this year’s accreditation in ux.
“Accreditation is a three-year cycle dating back to the original mandated deadline of Sept. 30, 2009,” says Sandra Canally,
RN, president of deemed Medicare accrediting organization The Compliance Team. “This year is a cycle year which typically means higher volume for all of the AOs. We are seeing at least double the amount of provider on sites as in the past two years.
“We have planned for the additional volume of on-sites and it is factored into our work ow,” Canally adds. “Over and above the full-time employees we have, because of the additional on-site reviews, we’ve hired some contractors. ... I’m sure the other AOs are planning, as well. At this point, we would not have any additional wait times [to renew], or anything like that.”
Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE, president and CEO of the Board of Certi cation/Accreditation (BOC) says her AO is expecting a renewal rush, since it renews on a three-year cycle, as well.
“BOC sees a higher volume of facilities each year as our busi- ness is growing overall, and approximately half of our accredited facilities are due to reaccredit this year,” she says. “To avoid delays it’s best to start your reaccreditation process early.
“July, August and September will be the busiest months for reaccreditation,” she adds. “From time to time, BOC offers an incentive for facilities who reaccredit early, and providers who plan ahead and take advantage of this offer will experience no delays whatsoever.
The good news is that there are no major changes or new requirements associated with Medicare accreditation to which HME provider businesses must suddenly conform.
“There have not been any major changes in Medicare accreditation requirements for DMEPOS providers in the past three years,” Zacharias notes. “Providers should focus on any required state licenses, which are subject to change. Providers can reference the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) website at palmettogba.com/nsc for up-to-date requirements.”
To that point, the major changes will be with individual state requirements, according to both Canally and Zacharias. For example, Georgia now has licensure requirements that it didn’t have before, and California and Florida just came out with additional requirements for the accreditors.
“Providers need to be careful with regard to the states because, some of the states with licensure have changed their requirements,” Canally explains. “Such as, needing a brick and mortar location within the state in order to ship product into the state, for instance. So, if they’re doing any kind of mail order into other states outside of where they’re located, they need to continually check that.”
And while the NSC’s supplier licensure directory through Palmetto provides a solid resource, Canally advocates for providers to take things a step further.
“It’s not a bad idea to check the state directly, as well,” she says. “They want to have somebody internally checking out the state.
Where to Start?
As providers approach their renewal, a good place to
begin is by reviewing their policies, and making sure that the processes that they have in place match their policies. In many cases, providers will be in compliance with their AO’s stan- dards, but their procedures might not match up simply due to oversight and other factors. This “renewal season” offers an opportunity to x that common mistake.
“Everybody should be reviewing their policies on an annual basis just to see if anything needs to be changed,” Canally notes. “Especially if they’ve had new staff come on board older staff that’s been with them a long time maybe retire or whatever, they want to make sure that they are matching what they say they do.
“Do ride-alongs with delivery techs to ensure delivery and instruc- tion with the patient is in compliance,” she adds. “Also, depending on equipment ordered, ensure that an assessment is done of the home environment where the equipment will be used.”
In terms of organizing the renewal project, both experts underscore the importance of a team approach. Start by delegating one person to spearhead the effort and then have that individual coordinate with the rest of the staff and report to the business owner or management, Canally suggests.
“Reaccreditation will be an easier process when all staff members are involved and prepared,” she says. “Put some- body in charge. Somebody needs to lead the process.”
“Be certain to have an all-staff training (particularly for new employees who may not have been at the facility three years prior, or have not experienced the survey process) to let employees know what to expect during the reaccreditation process,” Zacharias adds. “It is particularly helpful to create mock scenarios in preparation for the site survey.”
Once it’s time for the site survey, Zacharias suggests plan- ning vacations and staf ng levels to ensure key staff are on site when the surveyor arrives. You want to have your expert on-hand if possible.
“If a provider’s business operation allows for one individual to be designated as the person with authority and accountability for the reaccreditation process, that is extremely helpful,” she says. “He or she can be responsible for ensuring preparation is complete, and serve as a go-to resource for the surveyor.”
And really, this goes back to ensuring the whole staff, both new and veteran employees are trained on new policies and
“If a provider’s business operation allows for one individual to be designated as the person with authority and accountability for the reaccreditation process, that is extremely helpful.”
— Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE,
Board of Certi cation/Accreditation (BOC)
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