Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

SNFs shouldn't let the initial state survey notices send them on a wild goose chase.

Alarmed by a notice about your state surveyor's findings? It may not be as bad as you think. 

An initial notice that apparently warns of remedies or termination if a facility doesn't correct noncompliance has been chronically confusing nursing homes, says the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The notice, which CMS sends to all homes regardless of surveyors' findings, arrives after a survey has been completed. 

Problem: Facilities have been mistaking the notice's language for bad news and have been jumping the gun on filing and preparing an appeal.

Remedy: Thanks to changes to the letter's text, you should be able to tell right away whether you are looking at general information or a formal notice of remedy/termination. The changes should go into effect no later than Oct. 1, according to an Aug. 12 letter to state survey agency directors (S&C-04-38).

To read the notice, go to http://http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/survey-cert/sc0438.pdf.