Bloomberg Law (10/17, Pugh, Subscription Publication) reports behind a paywall that CMS “is revamping the system used to evaluate the performance of state nursing home inspection agencies in light of growing concern about resident safety.” In a memo to states, the agency “outlined a series of changes designed to strengthen the State Performance Standards System, which governs state nursing home inspectors.” These “include new performance measures; new monitoring to ensure fair, accurate, and timely inspections; and new guidelines designed to ensure that enforcement actions against non-compliant facilities, like civil monetary penalties, are applied consistently and fairly.”
Modern Healthcare (10/17, Brady, Subscription Publication) quotes CMS Administrator Seema Verma as saying in a statement, “By holding inspectors accountable for conducting timely and consistent inspections, we’re holding nursing homes accountable for providing safe, high-quality care – helping ensure safe nursing home environments.”