DNV Healthcare USA Inc. has released an advisory notice that announces that it will now conduct NIAHO Annual (periodic) surveys remotely for the remainder of calendar 2021.
The following is the text from a DNV email announcing the shift in policy.
“On July 1, 2021, DNV announced a return to full onsite NIAHO® accreditation surveys in hospitals, critical access hospitals and psychiatric hospitals, effective September 7, 2021. Since that announcement, COVID-19 positivity rates, hospitalizations, and community transmission have all increased dramatically. Trends in the national data from CMS and CDC show no relief in the short term, necessitating a review of our decision to return fully to onsite surveys.
As COVID-19 risks continue to rise, DNV will now conduct NIAHO Annual (periodic) surveys remotely for the remainder of calendar 2021. This includes Condition-Level follow-up surveys resulting from annual surveys and any survey related to non-deemed accreditation. More information on the NIAHO remote survey process is available in our on-demand webinar and on our Healthcare COVID-19 Resources page.
Current CMS procedure requires full accreditation surveys to be performed onsite, so all deemed NIAHO accreditation and re-accreditation surveys will be conducted onsite and unannounced until further notice. This includes new applicant hospitals (Medicare 855), initial DNV deemed accreditation (AO conversion, first-time accreditation, and new subprovider certifications).
The DNV Stroke Certification Program will continue to perform remote surveys on all annual survey years, P1 and P2 until the end of 2021. If your organization is scheduled for a remote stroke survey at this time, it will continue to be performed as such. There is no need to call to confirm your survey. Your surveyor will be calling you within two weeks before your scheduled stroke survey to discuss the survey and to send the agenda and document list that they will need before your remote survey.
Initial stroke surveys and stroke recertifications will be surveyed onsite unless there are some extenuating circumstances. If an organization’s leadership determines that you cannot participate in an onsite stroke survey due to COVID-19 issues, we should be notified as soon as your organization is having concerns. We will work with you to either switch to a remote survey for recertification surveys or reschedule for later in the year. We will not perform initial surveys remotely. If you cannot participate in an onsite survey as originally scheduled for an initial survey, we will work with you to find a later date.
DNV Certification Program surveys for Orthopaedics, Cardiac, Infection Prevention, Sterile Processing and Palliative Care will be coordinated with organizations on a case-by-case basis. Initial Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) credentialing surveys must be performed onsite.
For all DNV onsite survey activity, surveyors will wear face coverings according to CDC guidance for healthcare facilities. Surveyors will also follow your organization’s protocols for screening, sanitizing, and distancing, including use of videoconference technology to accommodate restrictions on staff or access to higher risk areas within the facility.
The HHS COVID-19 Public Health Emergency remains in effect until at least October 18, 2021 and is expected to continue throughout calendar 2021. DNV will continue to monitor the PHE, along with local and national conditions using data provided by CMS and CDC. We will adhere to any AO process changes that may be required by CMS and communicate any future adjustments as they emerge.
DNV appreciates the accommodations our accredited hospitals have made to support remote annual surveys as the Public Health Emergency has progressed. Those efforts, along with the ongoing commitment of our surveyors, have helped keep our hospitals safe, compliant, and on-cycle for accreditation and ISO 9001 compliance. As a new COVID-19 wave emerges and many of you prepare for a second remote survey, we remain grateful for the ongoing support to ensure safe quality care.
Resources:
- HHS ASPR Public Health Emergency: https://www.phe.gov/emergency/pages/default.aspx
- CMS Coronavirus Waivers & Flexibilities: https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/emergency-preparedness-response-operations/current-emergencies/coronavirus-waivers
- CMS COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/summary-covid-19-emergency-declaration-waivers.pdf
Any questions or comments can be forwarded to the Healthcare Client Drop Box: dnvclientdropbox@dnv.com.
