In a revised QSO Memo dated March 10, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) further delayed the implementation of the revised surveyor guidance in State Operations Manual Appendix PP expected at the end of this month. The revised effective date is being moved from March 24, 2025 to April 28, 2025.
CMSCG recently discussed the delays to this guidance with McKnight’s LTC News – and the potential impact it may have on surveys. While providers may want to breathe a sigh of relief at the delay, just remember that this gives surveyors more time to understand the revised guidance and then apply it.
It’s also worth noting that CMS released an Administrative Memo on March 7, 2025, where the agency announced its revised training plan for the launch of iQIES for long-term care surveys. The initial release was scheduled for February 2025, but the date has been pushed back to July 14, 2025. Scheduled trainings will take place in April, May and June of this year. The LTCSP training for surveyors is expected to take a minimum of 9 hours, per the Memo. Don’t forget – survey teams are also out doing survey & certification activities and still trying to address the survey backlog, so it may be a bit of a stretch to add training related to the revised guidance as well as training for the cut-over to the iQIES system to surveyors’ plates.
CMSCG’s recommendation, as we have mentioned in our Ftag of the Week posts and other communication, is to keep preparing as if this will be the final delay.
If your organization needs assistance with preparing for these changes, including policy review, a targeted or full-team mock survey, please contact CMSCG or check out our nursing home consulting services here.
View the revised QSO-25-14-NH, “Revised Long-Term Care (LTC) Surveyor Guidance: Significant revisions to enhance quality and oversight of the LTC survey process.”
View the revised Admin Info: 25-07-NH, “Training Plan for iQIES Launch in Long-Term Care.”
CMS Compliance Group, Inc. is a regulatory compliance and quality improvement consulting firm. Our interdisciplinary team of experienced consultants works with post-acute providers, including nursing homes, across the United States. Learn more here.
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