Medicare program; recognition of the Community Health Accreditation Program, Inc. (CHAP) for hospices. Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), HHS. Final notice

This notice recognizes the Community Health Accreditation Program, Inc. (CHAP) as a national accreditation organization for hospices that request participation in the Medicare program. We believe that accreditation of hospices by CHAP demonstrates that all Medicare hospice conditions of participation are met or exceeded. Thus, we grant deemed status to those hospices accredited by CHAP. The proposed notice included the application from the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). We have separated the final notices to appropriately process each application and will issue a separate final notice containing the decision for JCAHO under HCFA-2039-FN.