CMS has released Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes - Version 9 on September 8, 2020.

This document is a compilation of actions employed by organizations, including state governments, in the United States and outlying territories to assist nursing homes in meeting the needs of nursing home residents since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic recognized in early 2020.

The actions were collected by the contractors of the QIO Program, a statutorily mandated program of quality improvement contractors who work for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the care of Medicare beneficiaries, including beneficiaries who reside in nursing homes. By law, a QIO works in every state and territory.

This information was collected by the QIOs in late April 2020, and compiled by CMS and its contractors to provide a rapid-access compendium for providers and administrators of nursing homes in the United States to learn from the many creative plans that state governments and other entities have put into operation in a short period of time.

This compendium is not intended as guidance from CMS. It does not replace or serve as a substitute for CMS requirements and policy. The actions outlined in this document have not been evaluated for effectiveness by CMS or any government agency. This compendium is solely an informational product offered by CMS to nursing homes as well as state and local officials during the National Public Health Emergency.

If this is the first time you’ve seen the Toolkit, please know that CMS updates and compiles state actions and has done so for several months now.  The preceding paragraphs are the disclaimer found in each version.

If you have been referencing previous versions of the Toolkit, please reference the most current version which is now Version 9.  Continue to watch this blog for posting of updated versions.

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