HCFA Needs Better Assurance That Hospitals Meet Medicare Conditions of Participation

GAO discussed how the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) relies on the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' system of ensuring that hospitals are capable of providing quality care to Medicare patients. GAO found that: (1) the roles of HCFA and the Joint Commission should be clarified; (2) HCFA does not know the extent to which it can direct the Joint Commission to alter its accreditation process to better meet its needs; and (3) HCFA should attempt to guide the Joint Commission's activities to ensure that hospitals meet Medicare requirements in a timely fashion.