In March 2025, the Office of the Inspector General released on report State Survey Agencies Need Additional Guidance to Assess Nursing Home Emergency Preparedness Programs. The report concludes that:
- A quarter of State survey agencies reported that surveyors typically lack emergency preparedness expertise when hired, and building and retaining this expertise is challenging.
- CMS program guidance is more focused on documents to collect to demonstrate compliance with emergency preparedness rules than on assessing the content of those documents.
- Nearly one-half of State survey agencies reported successes that go beyond CMS guidance, including:
- (1) information sharing with emergency preparedness partners; and
- (2) additional tools and resources to enhance CMS guidance.
The OIG recommends CMS:
- Provide surveyors with instructions for how to assess the contents of nursing home emergency preparedness documentation as a part of the survey process.
- Issue guidance that encourages State survey agencies to collaborate and share information.