Contact: Thomas J. Stewart III
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HCFA INCORPORATES ASHRM COMMENTS IN GUIDELINES ON MEDICARE CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
CHICAGO (February 11, 2000) - The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) Board of Directors met via telephone with Joan Simmons, Deputy Director of the Division of Laboratories and Acute Care, of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), at a board meeting held January 31, 2000 in Washington, D.C. Ms. Simmons commended ASHRM for its recent review of the draft interpretive guidelines on the new Patients Rights' Standards in the revised Conditions of Participation for Hospitals in Medicare and Medicaid. ASHRM was one of 13 groups invited by HCFA to review its draft guidelines, which were scheduled for release this month.
On behalf of HCFA, Ms. Simmons expressed thanks for ASHRM's clear and concise comments, which were helpful and easily used. Most of the comments submitted by ASHRM were incorporated verbatim into the HCFA Interpretive Guidelines. Some of the comments ASHRM provided were included in the existing overall guideline concepts, or forwarded to the HCFA Regulations Team. HCFA plans to consult ASHRM again in future on other initiatives.
Ms Simmons plans to attend the ASHRM 20th Anniversary Annual Conference and Exhibition, "Risk Management and All that Jazz," November 2-5, 2000, in New Orleans, LA. ASHRM and HCFA are exploring the possibility of collaborative education programs in the near future.
"ASHM was pleased to have been asked to assist HCFA, said Fay Rozovsky, ASHRM President. "Our Society was fortunate to have a group of content specialists who shared their time and expertise. The ASHRM Board and the membership appreciate their hard work."
Rozovsky continued, "That HCFA asked ASHRM to participate is a major step in the recognition of our Society. It demonstrates that the regulatory community values the expertise of ASHRM and the healthcare risk management profession in fulfilling an important role in the pursuit of patients' rights and a safe environment of care."
