Accredited

To have a seal of approval. Being accredited means that a facility or health care organization has met certain quality standards. These standards are set by private, nationally recognized groups that check on the quality of care at health care facilities and organizations. Organizations that accredit Medicare Managed Care Plans include the National Committee for Quality Assurance, The Joint Commission, and the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission/Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC).

Accredited hospital

A facility that meets certain standards of quality. These standards are set by private, nationally recognized groups that check on the quality of care (staff and equipment) at health care facilities usually every 3 years. Accreditation can be awarded by two organizations: The Joint Commission and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). The Joint Commission has six levels—the lowest is not accredited and the highest is accredited with commendation. AOA has several levels, the lowest level being denial of accreditation and the highest being accreditation with resurvey within 3 years. State or federal governments can recognize accreditation in lieu of, or as the basis for, licensure or other mandatory approvals.

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Official approval by The Joint Commission (TJC) that the hospital facility has met the quality and high standards after their scrutiny. TJC accredits clinics, hospitals, and other federal and military facilities. See Joint Commission, The .

Accrete

1. Medicare term that means the addition of new enrollees to a health plan. 2. In managed care plans, this is an enrollment term. 3. In accounting, this term means accrue.
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The process of adding new members to a health insurance policy.