... And a busy New Year!

If you took some time off over the holidays, your “welcome back” this week may have included new regulatory developments. Among them:

• The Healthcare Facility Accreditation Program (HFAP) requirements for OPPE and FPPE are phasing in, and HFAP-accredited facilities must demonstrate compliance.
• Included in CMS’ new Hospital Infection Control Survey Worksheet is an assessment element regarding hospitals’ ensuring that all “personnel” are offered annual influenza vaccination (Infection Prevention Program and Resources element 1.D.16). CMS notes that 1.D.16 is “for information only” and there is no citation risk for it.
• As of January 1, CMS recognizes interventional cardiologists as subspecialists distinct from general cardiologists and internists, with their own specialty code (C3).

You can bet there will be more changes as the year goes on, making guidance and insight from your peers more vital than ever.

If peer review is causing MSP and leadership headaches at your organization, mark your calendar for our webcast “Peer Review: Seven Challenges and Realistic Solutions,” on Tuesday, January 28, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

Also, if you’re making the budgetary case for attending the Credentialing Resource Center Symposium on March 12 and 13, we’d like to add a little more persuasion to your argument, so we’re extending the early bird price through January 30. Perhaps a look at the brochure would help your case as well.

Finally, we’re still accepting nominations for useful FPPE policies and forms, to be included in The FPPE Toolbox, a book slated for publication later this year as a companion to The OPPE Toolbox. All forms will be reviewed by our expert author, and credit will be given to the organization that contributed them. Please email me if you have an FPPE candidate for inclusion.

Happy 2015 and thanks for reading!

Mary Stevens, managing editor, Credentialing Resource Center