Consulting Principal Martie Ross discusses proposed Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for obstetrical (OB) services in an article in a recent issue of the Report on Medicare Compliance. The national publication is produced by the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) to provide updates on compliance strategies specifically pertaining to Medicare.
In the article, “CMS Proposes New OB CoP, Would Revise Three Others with OB Links,” Ross comments on new CoPs in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed 2025 outpatient prospective payment system regulations. The proposed CoPs would apply to hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) that offer OB services. CMS is also proposing a new emergency services CoP applicable to all hospitals and CAHs, including those that do not provide OB services. All hospitals and CAHs would be required to demonstrate their ability to provide emergency OB services. The proposed CoPs would not apply to rural emergency hospitals.
Ross explains, “These are CoPs primarily related to health and safety, and organizations must satisfy the CoPs to maintain their Medicare certification agreement.”
She states the revisions are intended to create national standards for hospital OB units. To fulfill the CoPs, hospitals must satisfy requirements in three areas: organization and staffing; delivery of services; and staff training.
The emergency services CoP will greatly impact all hospitals and CAHs, even those without OB programs, Ross explains. It would require the organizations “to maintain protocols consistent with nationally recognized evidence-based guidelines for patients with emergency conditions,” she says, which includes OB emergencies.
CMS also proposes the requirement to employ quality assurance and performance improvement metrics to address the nation’s maternal health crisis and reduce disparities among OB patients.
Read the full article about CoPs for obstetrical services that ran on Aug. 19, 2024, on HCCA’s online platform, COSMOS, or access a PDF of the article.
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