The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced an enhanced, focused inspection process that will be provided to all inspectors and facilities, and used on a national scale. This focused inspection process includes a self-assessment tool, developed in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for providers to implement.

Building on previous CMS guidance issued on March 4, 2020, the agency is also now temporarily postponing routine inspections, to focus just on infection control and Immediate Jeopardy, where patient safety is placed in imminent danger. In this effort, CMS is not seeking to be punitive, but rather to respond to urgent issues while proactively ensuring providers are compliant with federal health and safety standards.

“Today, we’re issuing a call to action to nursing homes, hospitals, and the entire healthcare system: Don’t wait to be inspected,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma, said in a press release. “Starting today, you can–and should–use CMS’s self-assessment tool to ensure you’re prepared to prevent the spread of coronavirus.”

For a list of the types of federal inspections will be prioritized and conducted over the next few weeks as well as a list of inspections that will not be conducted, visit here.