CMS Issues Updates to Long-Term Care Emergency Regulatory Waivers

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) announced the ending of the following emergency regulatory waivers issued in response to COVID-19:

•        The emergency blanket waivers related to notification of resident room or roommate changes, and transfer and discharge notification requirements.
•        The emergency blanket waiver for certain care planning requirements for residents transferred for cohorting purposes.
•        The emergency blanket waiver of the timeframe requirements for completing and transmitting resident assessment information (Minimum Data Set).

CMS continues to review the need for existing waivers issued in response to the Public Health Emergency (PHE). Over the course of the PHE, nursing homes have developed policies or other practices that they believe mitigates the need for certain waivers.

More information on these changes can be found here.