Are Your Quality Assessment and Assurance Documents Safe From Prying Eyes?

Federal regulations require that all skilled nursing facilities must have a functioning Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) program and a Quality Assessment and Assurance (QAA) committee (Medicaid and Medicare Programs; Reform of Requirements for Long Term Care Facilities, Fed Regist 2016;81:68688–68872; codified at 42 CFR § 483.75, effective November 28, 2017; http://bit.ly/38fnRmx). To help surveyors determine whether nursing facilities are in substantial compliance with the applicable federal regulations, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides guidance in the form of the State Operations Manual (SOM).