LOCAL HOSPITALS AREN'T WORRIED ABOUT ACCREDITORS' SPOT CHECKS.(Capital Region)

Byline: RICK KARLIN Staff writer

While not exactly welcoming the news, hospital officials in the Capital Region say they accept and understand why a leading hospital accreditation group will next summer start conducting spot checks across the nation.

Even though officials realize that the checks may put some additional regulatory pressure on hospitals and other health care facilities, the plan is indicative of a public and regulatory mood that is demanding increased oversight of health care facilities, say those in the hospital industry.

"We're not averse to them moving in this direction," Carolyn Scanlan, executive vice president of the Hospital …