COVID-19 Focused Infection Control Survey Tool for Acute and Continuing Care Providers and Suppliers (REVISED)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to review the existing flexibilities, waivers, and survey guidance issued in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency (PHE) and is committed to ensuring America’s healthcare facilities provide safe, high quality care. • COVID-19 Focused Infection Control (FIC) Survey Tool: SAs and AOs have returned to the existing standard survey processes and continue to assess infection prevention and control by focusing on the regulatory requirements. Surveyors must no longer use the special FIC survey and tool on a national or case by case basis. • Visitation Restrictions: Continued federal guidance regarding visitation restrictions for ACC facilities are no longer necessary. Facilities should continue to review their own infection prevention and control policies and practices to prevent the spread of infectious disease and illness, including COVID-19, consistent with national standards of practice. This CMS memo supersedes several previously issued COVID-19 IPC guidance memos as noted here, including: QSO-20-13-Hospitals-CAHs REVISED, QSO-20-15 Hospital/CAH/EMTALA REVISED, QSO-20-16-Hospice, QSO-20-18-HHA, QSO-20-19-ESRD - REVISED, QSO-20-22- ASC, CORF, CMHC, OPT, RHC/FQHCs, QSO-20-23-ICF/IID & PRTF, QSO-20-36-ESRD.