Resources to Navigate LTC Survey Process
On January 25, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted updates to the LTC Survey Process (LTCSP), specifically survey resources, including: Revision History for LTC Survey Process documents and files Survey Resources – Updated 01/25/2022 (zip file) Survey Resources – January 2022 (01/25/22) (zip file) The LTCSP is updated in the Survey Resources folders...
Resources to Navigate COVID-19 Vaccine Survey Requirements
On December 28, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued surveyor guidance on assessing long-term care facilities’ compliance with a federal mandate for healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccinations. Surveyor enforcement is to begin within 30 days. The guidance in this memorandum does not apply to states currently in litigation to be heard by...
CMS Interim Final Rule (IFC) Updates Available
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have released the memo, Interim Final Rule (IFC), CMS-3401-IFC, Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency related to Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Testing Requirements and Revised COVID19 Focused Survey Tool. Access it here>>
CMS Updates: Reopening of Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated the outlined recommendations for the reopening of nursing homes utilizing a three-phased approach while including specific recommendations related to visitation, testing, screening and monitoring, universal source control, physical distancing, PPE, group activities and more! Download the updates: QSO-20-30-NH updated 9/28/2020 Nursing Home Reopening Recommendations Frequently Asked Questions Leaders need...
CMS Updates: Reopening of Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated the outlined recommendations for the reopening of nursing homes utilizing a three-phased approach while including specific recommendations related to visitation, testing, screening and monitoring, universal source control, physical distancing, PPE, group activities and more! Download the updates: QSO-20-30-NH updated 9/28/2020 Nursing Home Reopening Recommendations Frequently Asked Questions Leaders need...
CMS Regulatory Updates Effective April 2019
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent several updates recently that will impact providers. See below for more need to know information: April 2019 Improvements to Nursing Home Compare Freeze ending on Health Inspection Star Ratings – Inspectors will resume the traditional method of calculating health inspection scores by using three cycles of...
Important Update for Post-Acute Care (SNF) Organizations
Skilled Nursing Facility Provider Preview Reports (per the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNFQRP)) have been updated and are now available. Through November 30, 2018, providers can review performance data on quality measures based on Quarter 2 – 2017 to Quarter 1 – 2018 data, prior to the January 2019 Nursing Home Compare site...
PBJ Accuracy Becomes Increasingly Important as a Measure of Quality
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) knows staffing within long-term care (LTC) facilities significantly affects the care delivered to residents. Guidance to Surveyors, F851, requires the quarterly electronic submission of payroll data to CMS. Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data more accurately depicts a facility’s staffing levels by reporting actual hours worked during the reporting...
CMS To Resume Health Inspection Rating Posting Oct. 2019
Recently CMS announced that it will resume posting the average number of citations per inspection for each state and nationally in October 2019. CMS is monitoring outcomes of the new inspection process and plans to resume health inspection rating calculations (i.e., end the freeze) in the spring of 2019. Read the S&C memorandum 18-04-NH about the temporary “freeze”...
CMS Announced Updates Regarding the Long-Stay Hospitalization Quality Measure
In July 2018, CMS will provide rates of hospitalizations for long-stay residents in each facility’s confidential “Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Ratings of Nursing Homes Provider Rating Report.” In October 2018, the long-stay hospitalization measure will be posted on the Nursing Home Compare website as a long-stay quality measure. In the spring of 2019, this quality...
