The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is suspending non-emergency inspections of nursing homes so inspectors can focus on the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). CMS also announced guidance for controlling COVID-19 in nursing homes.
CMS announced March 4 that, effective immediately, it will conduct only the following survey inspections, in order of priority:
- Immediate jeopardy complaints and allegations of abuse and neglect,
- Infection control concerns, including COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses,
- Statutorily required recertification surveys,
- Re-visits necessary to resolve enforcement actions,
- Initial certifications,
- Surveys of facilities or hospitals with a history of infection control deficiencies at the immediate jeopardy level in the last three years, and
- Surveys of facilities, hospitals or dialysis centers with a history of infection control deficiencies at levels below immediate jeopardy.