CMS Issues Nursing Home Reopening Recommendations for State and Local Officials

This week, CMS provided recommendations on a nursing home phased reopening for states. The recommendations cover the following items:

• Recommendations for testing residents and staff
• Dedicated space for cohorting residents with COVID-19
• Criteria for relaxing certain restrictions and mitigating the risk of
• resurgence
• Visitation and service considerations
• Restoration of survey activities

The guidance encourages state leaders to collaborate with the state survey agency and local health departments to decide how these criteria should be implemented. Given the critical importance in limiting COVID-19 exposure in nursing homes, CMS recommends that decisions on relaxing restrictions be made with careful review of the following facility-level, community, and state factors:

• Baseline test of all residents, weekly testing of all staff, practicing social
• distancing, and universal source control for residents and visitors (e.g.,
• face coverings)
• Status of COVID-19 cases in the local community
• Status of COVID-19 cases in nursing homes
• Adequate staffing
• Access to adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Local hospital capacity

AHCA/NCAL’s detailed analysis is forthcoming.

Read the press release, guidance and FAQs from CMS.