CMS to ramp up oversight of nursing home staffing

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will use frequently-updated payroll-based data to identify nursing homes that have a significant drop in staffing levels on weekends, or several days in a quarter without a registered nurse on site, the agency announced last week. CMS plans to share a list of those facilities with state survey agencies, which will be required to conduct surveys on some weekends based on the list. If surveyors identify insufficient nurse staffing levels, the facility will be cited for noncompliance and required to implement a plan of correction, CMS said. The agency released payroll-based staffing data  for nursing homes in April. “We’re deeply concerned about potential inadequacies in staffing, such as low weekend staffing levels or times when registered nurses are not onsite, and the impact that this can have on patient care,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “The actions announced today strengthen our oversight of resident health and safety, and help ensure accurate public reporting.”