Editing Medicare (United States) (section)

===Hospital accreditation===
In most states the [[Joint Commission]], a private, [[non-profit organization]] for accrediting hospitals, decides whether or not a hospital is able to participate in Medicare, as currently there are no competitor organizations recognized by CMS.

Other organizations can also accredit hospitals for Medicare.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} These include the [[Community Health Accreditation Program]], the [[Accreditation Commission for Health Care]], [[the Compliance Team]] and the [[Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation]].

Accreditation is voluntary and an organization may choose to be evaluated by their State Survey Agency or by CMS directly.<ref>[http://www.vdh.state.va.us/OLC/Laws/documents/HomeCare/Accreditation%20Option%20for%20Medicare%20payments.pdf The Accreditation Option for Deemed Medicare Status], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716120632/http://www.vdh.state.va.us/OLC/Laws/documents/HomeCare/Accreditation%20Option%20for%20Medicare%20payments.pdf|date=July 16, 2009}}, Office of Licensure and Certification, Virginia Department of Health.</ref>