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Hospital Accrediting Agency Misses Problems

A July 2004 report by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which is responsible for inspecting hospitals and approving them to receive Medicare payments, missed many potentially dangerous problems during routine inspections.

The commission is a private organization made up of 28 people representing doctors, other health care professionals and hospitals. It is the only accrediting agency the government has no authority over and hospitals approved by the commission are automatically eligible to participate in Medicare.

Problems the commission missed included substandard patient care, medications being given without physician orders, unsanitary environments that enabled transmission of infections and communicable diseases, failed medical instrument sterilization programs and unsafe fire conditions.

82% of hospitals in the U.S. were approved by the commission in 2002.

U.S. Representative Pete Stark of California is co-sponsor of legislation introduced that will increase Medicare’s authority over the commission. “While more may need to be done, the legislation we’re introducing today will improve accountability by establishing a clear chain of command within the hospital oversight process. It will help assure that taxpayer dollars are being spent in facilities that meet Medicare’s standards.”

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