CMS halts enforcement of some standards required by nursing homes that would enhance safety procedures for patients. In this notice: Temporary Enforcement Delays for Certain Phase 2 F-Tags and Changes to Nursing Home Compare posted late last month, the CMS announced an 18-month moratorium on enforcement remedies in some nursing home regulation that was finalized last year.
Memorandum Summary from CMS Inlcuded:
- Temporary moratorium on imposing certain enforcement remedies for specific Phase 2 requirements: CMS will provide an 18 month moratorium on the imposition of certain
enforcement remedies for specific Phase 2 requirements. This 18 month period will be used to educate facilities about specific new Phase 2 standards. - Freeze Health Inspection Star Ratings: Following the implementation of the new LTC survey process on November 28, 2017, CMS will hold constant the current health
inspection star ratings on the Nursing Home Compare (NHC) website for any surveys occurring between November 28, 2017 and November 27, 2018. - Availability of Survey Findings: The survey findings of facilities surveyed under the new LTC survey process will be published on NHC, but will not be incorporated into
calculations for the Five-Star Quality Rating System for 12 months. CMS will add indicators to NHC that summarize survey findings. - Methodological Changes and Changes in Nursing Home Compare: In early 2018, NHC health inspection star ratings will be based on the two most recent cycles of findings for
standard health inspection surveys and the two most recent years of complaint inspections
According to news reports, CMS said it will use this 18-month moratorium period to educate surveyors and providers to ensure they understand the health and safety expectations that must be met. The 713-page rule was the first major update to requirements for long-term care providers since 1991.
