Nursing Home Monetary Penalties Heat Up

CMS reverses prior decision to change penalties from per day to per instance. AARP Foundation and a Washington-based law firm sued to block the per instance penalty, which created endless nursing home violations without further penalty before fixing, if ever. Nearly one third of all Covid related deaths are in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care settings.

CMS is hereby removing the July 7, 2017 Memo (S&C 17-37-NH) from its guidance repository. In that memo, CMS instructed CMS Locations (formerly “Regional Offices”) to impose civil monetary penalties for prior noncompliance solely on a per-instance basis. Upon further consideration, CMS has determined that the agency should retain the discretion at this time to impose a per-day penalty where appropriate to address specific circumstances of prior noncompliance. We will work within CMS operations to apply such discretion, and any final notice of noncompliance will set forth the penalty, and the reason(s) for imposing per-instance or per-day penalties. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/Policy-and-Memos-to-States-and-Regions-Items/Survey-and-Cert-Letter-17-37

##

ESG Safe is an authorized reseller of regulated disinfectant and PPE gear. Buyers can be assured of quality and safety for staff and residents. They are best in class, often innovative game changers, and almost always available for immediate delivery. Our team will guide you to the best solutions.