Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP
Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare®

CMS has posted an updated Chapter 2 – The Certification Process to the State Operations Manual. This Chapter is dated July 6, 2018. The previous chapter carried a revision date of November 4, 2016.

The 11/2016 version of this chapter was 458 pages in length; the 6/2018 version is 461 pages.

Areas where changes are identified by CMS (in red ink) include:

• Organ Procurement Organizations (page 18)
• Effective Date of Medicare Provider Agreement or Approval for Suppliers (pages 43 and 44)
• Hospice Regulations and Non-Medicare Patients (page 83)
• Verification Criteria (CAH) (page 252)
• Application of the more than 15-mile drive standard, based on secondary roads (CAH – resource reference) (page 259)
• Criteria for Extension Location Approval (Rehab Agency) (page 303)
• All Health and Safety Standards Are Not Met on the Day of the Survey (page 414)
• Opening the Donation Service Area (DSA) for Competition from other OPOs (pages 422 – 424)

Chapter 2 covers many types of providers including:

• Hospitals
• Hospices
• Intermediate Care Facilities
• Home Health Agencies
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers
• Rural Health Clinics
• Community Mental Health Centers
• Critical Access Hospitals
• End Stage Renal Disease Facilities
• Outpatient P.T. and Speech Pathology Services
• Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities
• Suppliers of Portable X-Ray Services
• Organ Procurement Organizations
• Federally Qualified Health Centers
• Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities

It also addresses specific items including:

• Spell of Illness Certifications
• Screening Mammography
• Life Safety Code
• Utilization Review
• Survey Process