While LeadingAge Washington made a similar but different request to suspend certain survey activity in our state’s skilled nursing facilities, LeadingAge national just released this important CMS announcement. 

Late this afternoon, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted an announcement to detail new actions addressing limiting the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. 

In response, LeadingAge issued this press release.

The most significant message from CMS is that state survey agencies are directed to prioritize their work as follows: 

Effective immediately, survey activity is limited to the following (in Priority Order):

• All immediate jeopardy complaints (cases that represents a situation in which entity noncompliance has placed the health and safety of recipients in its care at risk for serious injury, serious harm, serious impairment or death or harm) and allegations of abuse and neglect;
• Complaints alleging infection control concerns, including facilities with potential COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses;
• Statutorily required recertification surveys (Nursing Home, Home Health, Hospice, and ICF/IID facilities);
• Any re-visits necessary to resolve current enforcement actions;
• Initial certifications;
• Surveys of facilities/hospitals that have a history of infection control deficiencies at the immediate jeopardy level in the last three years; and
• Surveys of facilities/hospitals/dialysis centers that have a history of infection control deficiencies at lower levels than immediate jeopardy.

We are in the process of preparing resources and guidance for members, which will all be covered in a LeadingAge QuickCast later this week.

We will work closely with our state partners and look to all of you for updates on the implementation of the new policies by your state survey agencies. We will also provide regular updates about the work we are doing to ensure that older adults remain a high priority at the federal and the community levels, including regular contact with officials at CMS and all of you.

Thank you for your continued support and the work you do every day.

With gratitude,

Katie Smith Sloan, President & CEO, LeadingAge|LeadingAge.org