Guidance to Hospitals and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Surveyors Addressing Revisions to Swing-Bed Requirements

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing updated guidance to surveyors for the special requirements for Hospital and CAH providers of long-term care services (LTC), also known as “swing beds”.
• For Hospitals: Appendix T has been deleted and will no longer be used for the special requirements for hospital providers of LTC services (“swing beds”). The guidance for the special requirements for hospital providers of LTC services are now located in Appendix A under §482.58.
• For CAHs: The special requirements for CAH providers of LTC services (“swing beds”) in Appendix W at §485.645 have been revised to reflect the provisions of the final rule that revised the requirements for LTC facilities in 2017. The CAH Survey Protocol has also been significantly revised