ACHC Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation — Frequently Asked Questions
What is ACHC Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation?
ACHC Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation is a CMS-approved accreditation program for providers delivering intravenous medications and infusion therapies in the home setting. It grants CMS deemed status under 42 CFR Part 486, Subpart I. The Medicare home infusion therapy benefit (21st Century Cures Act, effective January 1, 2021) requires CMS-approved accreditation for Medicare supplier enrollment.
Is ACHC Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation required for Medicare billing?
Yes. The 21st Century Cures Act requires home infusion therapy suppliers to be accredited by a CMS-approved accreditor as a condition of Medicare enrollment. Unaccredited providers cannot obtain or maintain a Medicare Supplier Number for home infusion therapy services.
What drugs are covered under the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit?
The benefit covers professional services associated with the administration of Part B-covered infusion drugs in the home. Covered categories include anti-infective therapy, chemotherapy, pain management, and biologics covered under Part B. The benefit covers professional nursing services for assessment, training, and monitoring — not the drugs themselves.
What therapy categories require ACHC accreditation?
ACHC Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation applies to all home infusion therapy categories — anti-infectives, TPN, biologics, chemotherapy, pain management, and other parenteral therapies. Product-specific requirements vary by category. IHS maps each provider's therapy portfolio to applicable ACHC standards at the start of every engagement.
What is the role of the pharmacist in home infusion therapy accreditation?
ACHC requires documented pharmacist oversight including drug utilization review, therapeutic monitoring, adverse event identification, and prescriber communication. Missing or inadequate pharmacist oversight documentation is one of the most commonly cited deficiencies in home infusion surveys.
What are the 24/7 support requirements?
ACHC requires that providers maintain 24/7 access to clinical support — nursing and pharmacy — for patients experiencing complications or urgent issues. This must be operationally demonstrated through on-call logs, call records, and response procedures — not just stated in policy.
What is required for patient and caregiver training?
Patients and caregivers must receive training sufficient to safely manage infusion therapy between nursing visits, with documented competency assessment. Training must cover administration technique, catheter care, adverse event recognition, and emergency procedures. Documentation of demonstrated competency is required — verbal attestation alone is not sufficient.
What infection surveillance is required?
ACHC requires an active infection surveillance program monitoring CRBSI rates, adverse drug events, and unplanned rehospitalizations. Data must be reviewed at required intervals, trended over time, and used to drive quality improvement. Passive reporting without active analysis does not meet ACHC standards.
How long does ACHC Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation take?
Most providers can achieve initial accreditation in 6-12 months. The timeline depends on the breadth of therapy categories, existing documentation system maturity, and clinical infrastructure readiness. IHS tailors the preparation timeline to each provider's situation.
How much does ACHC Home Infusion Therapy Accreditation cost?
ACHC fees are not publicly published — contact ACHC directly. IHS consulting engagement fees are scoped per engagement — contact IHS for a tailored proposal.
What are the most common survey deficiencies?
Common deficiencies: inadequate patient/caregiver training documentation, missing pharmacist oversight records, inability to demonstrate 24/7 support is operational, no active CRBSI surveillance, delivery documentation gaps, absent adverse event reporting, and QAPI programs without home infusion-specific indicators.
How does IHS help home infusion providers?
IHS provides therapy category mapping, gap analysis, policy and protocol development, infection surveillance review, QAPI design, mock survey, and RFI response. IHS is led by Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC.
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