Which statement accurately describes hospital accreditation and Medicare requirements?

• A. It is not permissible to certify only part of a general hospital.
• B. A hospital accredited by TJC and AOA is not deemed to meet all Medicare requirements.
• C. An individual or entity should not allow immediate access to a surveyor.
• D. Accreditation status has no bearing on Medicare certification.

Answer: (A)

Hospital accreditation and Medicare certification are tied to patient-safety oversight and compliance with care standards. Medicare participation hinges on meeting the hospital’s Conditions of Participation, and accreditation from a CMS-recognized body can help demonstrate those standards, but certification generally applies to the facility as a whole rather than just a portion of it. That's why the statement that you cannot certify only part of a general hospital is the best answer: in ordinary practice, a general hospital is certified as a single facility, not in fragments. The other options either overstate or misstate how accreditation interacts with Medicare, or describe survey access in a way that isn’t accurate, or suggest accreditation has no bearing on Medicare certification, which it does.