Medicare Bill Could Lead to Tougher Hospital Inspections

The new medicare bill could lead to tougher hospital inspections.

In 1965, the year Medicare and Medicaid legislation was passed, Congress gave the “Joint Commission,” a professional accreditation organization established in 1951, the unique authority to inspect hospitals and determine whether they meet the patient health and safety standards required to treat Medicare patients.


Today, the Joint Commission collects $113 million in annual revenue, mainly from the fees it charges hospitals for telling them whether they comply with federal regulations. The hospitals that are inspected are the ones that foot the bill to be accredited and 99% of the hospitals that are inspected by this entity are generally accredited.


Thanks to the Medicare bill that Congress passed earlier this month, however, the Joint Commission will no longer enjoy unique authority over hospital inspections.