Regulations, Codes & Standards Q&A: Triennial surveys

Q: I heard a rumor that the accreditation organizations (AO) are going to 18 month visits vs. the three years it has been. Is there truth to this?

A: No. None of the AOs are going to an 18-month cycle for survey. They all will be staying at the 36-month cycle, which is allocated by CMS. They would have to double the number of surveyors which would be an added cost to the healthcare facilities that are accredited by them. 

There is one accreditation organization (DNV-GL) that does visit their client hospital every year, but they still only survey on behalf of CMS every 3 years. The other two annual visits that DNV performs is a requirement of their ISO process, and they use those visits as educational visits. DNV’s process is very well received and annual visits are appreciated by their client hospitals.

Brad Keyes, CHSP, is the owner of KEYES Life Safety Compliance, and his expertise is in the management of the Life Safety Program, including the Environment of Care and Emergency Management programs.