Conditions of Participation for Hospitals
In a major initiative, CMS has conducted a large-scale retrospective review of the conditions of participation it imposes on hospitals to remove or revise obsolete, unnecessary, or burdensome provisions. Most of the existing hospital requirements have grown over decades, reflecting new legislation, changes in technology or medical practice, and evolution of the health care delivery system. While each of these requirements reflects concerns for improving patient safety or solving problems, their cumulative effect may have actually increased burdens on hospitals and health care providers, thereby increasing inefficiency and risk in providing good patient care.
The goal of the retrospective review is to identify opportunities to improve patient care and outcomes and reduce system costs by removing obsolete or burdensome requirements. CMS intends to publish a proposed rule on this subject in September 2011 and currently estimates that the revisions may save as much as $600 million annually and $3 billion over five years.
