Licensing & Accreditation

About Licensing & Accreditation

Hospital licensing and certification is complex. CHA offers resources to help hospitals meet robust licensing requirements, including the California Hospital Survey Manual, which explains both California and federal requirements and helps hospitals prepare for the survey process, explains how surveys are conducted, and offers tips for a successful survey.

CMS Issues Report on Acute Hospital Care at Home

What’s happening: As required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a report on several aspects of the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) initiative, which provided waivers that allowed individual hospitals to give inpatient-level care in the home environment.  

What else to know: The waiver program launched during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), and the CAA extended it beyond the PHE’s end, allowing it to continue through Dec. 31 of this year. 

CHA Disaster Planning Conference Focuses on Lessons Learned

What’s happening: CHA held its annual Disaster Planning Conference in Pasadena on Sept. 10 and 11. Topics included best practices for communication and collaboration in an emergency, treatment of special pathogens, enhancing health care cybersecurity, and fundamentals of radiation protection.    

What else to know: More than 500 people attended the conference, including emergency preparedness directors and coordinators; members of hospital disaster planning teams; compliance, nurse, and case managers; and quality and safety executives.  

OSHPD to Host Webinar on Hospital Construction Review Process

What’s happening: The Department of Health Care Access and Information’s (HCAI) Office of Statewide Hospital Planning and Development (OSHPD) is hosting a webinar to share updates about its review process for hospital construction projects. 

What else to know: The webinar is scheduled for Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. (PT) and is free. Registration is open.  

CMS Issues Updated Model EMTALA Signage

What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the release of updated model signage that Medicare-participating hospitals may use to inform patients of their rights under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). 

What else to know: The CMS signage is updated to include a reference to a new EMTALA-compliant portal launched by the agency in May 2024. CMS encourages — but does not require — hospitals to adopt the updated signage by Sept. 13.