Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesJune 03, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new memo, QSO-20-31, that addresses a range of issues. The memo discusses: focused infection control nursing home surveys and CARES Act supplemental funding; COVID-19 Survey Activities; expanded survey activities; enhanced enforcement for infection control deficiencies, and Quality Improvement Organization support. Additionally, CMS released Nursing Home COVID-19 Data, a chart that provides facility-reported information for each State under CMS’s new reporting requirements. The chart includes (among other categories) total nursing home resident cases, total nursing home resident COVID-deaths, total nursing home staff cases, total nursing home staff deaths, as well as state survey data. The agency also sent a letter to every state Governor summarizing the information in the memo, describing the data chart, and calling on Governors to submit a comprehensive plan for testing and submit it to HHS.
Consumer Voice will be providing a more detailed summary in the next few days.