CMS Updates COVID-19 Guidance for Surveys, Visitation and Testing

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revised the COVID-19 Focused Infection Control (FIC) Survey Tool and visitation restrictions for acute and continuing care (ACC) facilities through a revised QSO-21-08-NLTC memo.  This memo supersedes the instructions in QSO-20-16-Hospice and QSO-20-18-HHA. State survey agencies (SA) and accrediting organizations (AO) have returned to the existing standard […]

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CMS Rescinds Focused Infection Control Survey and Visitor Restrictions for Home Health and Hospice Providers

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In January 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a revised COVID-19 Focused Infection Control Survey for Acute and Continuing Care (ACC) for providers which included home health and hospice.  This was the focused survey tool that surveyors would use for hospice and home health agency providers for any type of survey […]

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CMS Rescinds Focused Infection Control Survey and Visitor Restrictions for Home Health and Hospice Providers

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In January 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a revised COVID-19 Focused Infection Control Survey for Acute and Continuing Care (ACC) for providers which included home health and hospice.  This was the focused survey tool that surveyors would use for hospice and home health agency providers for any type of survey […]

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CMS Issues Policy Clarification and Updates to Covered Supplies

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued new communications to its contractors that impact home health and hospice agencies. One directive is to the State Survey Agencies and another to the Medicare Administrative Contractors. CMS has issued a Survey and Certification Memo titled Clarification of the Accrediting Organization’s (AO’s) Role when a […]

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