NH Survey Backlogs Increased During the COVID-19 Pandemic

According to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, backlogs of state-administered surveys, on behalf of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), were found to dramatically increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least every 15 months, CMS requires State Survey agencies (States) to conduct onsite inspections to evaluate the quality and type of care provided by nursing homes.

In efforts to evaluate this protocol, researchers analyzed administrative data from CMS regarding standard surveys conducted by states from February 1, 2020, until May 31, 2021.

As of June 2020, 8% of nursing homes had gone at least 16 months without a standard survey. Results showed that this number grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was up to 71% by the end of the study.

Of note, backlogs ranged from 22%-96% of nursing homes across States.

“Our updated analysis underscores the importance and urgency of our previous recommendation to CMS to clarify expectations for States to complete backlogs of standard surveys, including by issuing guidance on prioritization of surveys and required timeframes to complete these backlogs,” the authors wrote. “CMS said it will continue working with States on how to address these backlogs.”

Reference:
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General. States' backlogs of standard surveys of nursing homes grew substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. HHS website. Published online July 21, 2021. Accessed December 2021. https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-01-20-00431.asp