Compliance with CMS standards includes having survey-ready files, according to the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society.
OOSS shared three tips for ophthalmic ASCs to prepare their files for unannounced surveys in The Ophthalmic ASC magazine:
1. Employee and credentialing files. Compliance surveyors spend more time reviewing credentialing and employment files than others. When reviewing the file, surveyors are looking for employee health records, provider education, competency and safety compliance. Making sure files are clean, orderly and organized can show a surveyor an ASC is dedicated to compliance.
2. Operation contract files. Surveyors will assess operation contracts related to the ASC's maintenance, including document-specific vendors. To make the reviewing process easier for surveyors, ASCs should organize operational contracts in one binder with a one-page cover sheet.
3. File templates. Creating file templates can make future organizing efforts easier.