CMS Issues Interim Final Rule on SNF Reporting COVID-19 Cases of Residents and Staff

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule updating requirements for notification of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases among residents and staff in nursing homes.

CMS is requiring nursing homes to report COVID-19 facility data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and to residents, their representatives, and families of residents in facilities. Failure to report in accordance with 42 CFR 483.80 (g) can result in an enforcement action.

CMS also has updated the COVID-19 Focused Survey for Nursing Homes, Entrance Conference Worksheet, COVID-19 Focused Survey Protocol, and Summary of the COVID-19 Focused Survey for Nursing Homes to reflect COVID-19 reporting requirements. Tags used to report COVID-19 are F884 and F885.

CMS also will begin posting data from the CDC National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) for viewing by facilities, stakeholders, and general public. The public use file will be available on https://data.cms.gov.

Click here to view the CMS memo about the interim rule.