As of October 1, hospital-owned off-site emergency departments (ED) are eligible for The Joint Commission’s Acute Stroke-Ready Hospital (ASRH) certification program.

The accreditor made the decision after receiving customer requests to allow off-site EDs to apply for the program, which was launched in July. To be eligible to apply, EDs must meet Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) standards and have been part of a triennial Joint Commission accreditation survey. Furthermore, they must be provider-based and owned and operated by a Medicare-participating hospital.

Other eligibility requirements include:
•    Having the same Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Certification Number as the main hospital
•    Showing that the ED’s medical and nursing personnel are part of the main hospital’s medical staff and nursing services
•    Having the ED medical director be a part of the main hospital’s medical staff.
•    Merging medical records from both the main hospital and the offsite ED into a unified record system.

Read the Joint Commission announcement.