Is your organization eligible for accreditation of equipment management and clinical respiratory services?

Organizations that are eligible for Joint Commission survey and accreditation of equipment management and clinical respiratory services (CRSs) often are surprised that they are actually providing these services. The traditional home medical equipment (HME) provider is a company that selects an appropriate piece of medical equipment for a patient, delivers the medical equipment to the patient in his or her home, assembles the equipment, instructs the patient about its use, and performs maintenance on the equipment as specified by the manufacturer and organization policy and procedure. These organizations are easily identified. However, a number of other health care providers also are involved in the provision of equipment to patients in their homes and, consequently, are eligible for equipment maintenance accreditation.