CMS places SNF inspection scores on temporary hold
To help protect skilled nursing facilities against COVID-19 outbreaks, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began focusing inspections on infection control programs in March. With that change, many facilities are not being examined according to the usual schedule, potentially skewing the public quality rating system to negatively impact the ratings of facilities that are being inspected.1 To maintain the integrity of the system, CMS announced April 24 that it would place a temporary hold on the domain of the Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System.
Through the duration of the hold:
- All SNF star ratings will remain consistent for the duration of the hold
- Results of inspections performed after March 4 will appear through a special link on the CMS Nursing Home Compare page
- CMS inspections will continue to focus on infection control programs and immediate threats to patient safety, based on complaints.
The hold will affect all inspections performed after March 4. Results of inspections performed after that date were posted to the public on April 29. Inspection results will continue to be posted as the data is able to be finalized and uploaded to the site. CMS did not reveal an end date for the hold of the rating system.
The announcement regarding the Five-Star Quality Rating System came along with other announcements about CMS requirements for skilled nursing facilities, including staffing data and the Minimum Data Set.
While ratings for skilled nursing facilities will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future, it is important for nursing facilities to diligently maintain their infection control programs to protect residents and staff, and to be prepared if an inspection does occur. ABILITY INFECTIONWATCH® can help your facility track the data it needs to monitor its infection control program. Find out how.
Source:
1. Director, CMS Quality Safety & Oversight Group, April 24, 2020, memorandum to State Survey Agency Directors. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-28-nh.pdf
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