STATEHOUSE (Feb. 6, 2018) — The House of Representatives recently voted in support of State Rep. Mike Karickhoff’s (R-Kokomo) bill that would allow the Indiana State Department of Health to issue a license for a hospital that has received accreditation from a nationally recognized accrediting organization.
Karickhoff said hospital accreditation is an assessment process used by health care organizations to evaluate levels of performance in relation to established standards of quality.
House Bill 1260 would eliminate the need for ISDH to conduct annual inspections if the hospital meets the standards set by a federally approved accreditation organization. National accreditation organizations typically survey hospitals every three years. According to Karickhoff, Indiana is 1 of 5 states that does not accept federal accreditation in the place of state surveys for licensure.
“Hospital personnel are being subjected to multiple unnecessary surveys, with different standards, which can distract them from providing patients with the highest quality of care they deserve and expect,” Karickhoff said. “National accreditation surveys are often more rigorous than our state process. This bill would help get rid of the overlap caused by these extra inspections while ensuring hospitals are still up to code.”
Karickhoff said ISDH surveyors spent nearly 81 percent of their time investigating patient complaints compared to 16 percent of their time surveying hospitals last year. The bill would help the ISDH continue to utilize resources to protect patients.
To ensure state standards match national standards, the ISDH would work with recognized accrediting organizations to develop and implement licensure standards.
The bill can now move to the Senate for further consideration. For more information, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) represents House District 30,
which includes portions of Grant and Howard counties.
A high-resolution photo of Karickhoff can be downloaded by clicking here.
PHOTO CAPTION: State Rep. Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) presents his legislation on the House floor on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. House Bill 1260 would allow the Indiana State Department of Health to issue a license for a hospital that has received accreditation from a nationally recognized accrediting organization.
