07/31/2025

CMS Removes Focused Infection Control from Standard Survey Process

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released memo QSO-25-23-ALL on July 30, announcing that Focused Infection Control surveys will no longer be a part of the long-term care survey process. Implemented during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), these focused surveys were continued on a reduced scale after the PHE expired in May 2023. The July 30 memo clarified that any COVID-19 or infection control concerns will now be investigated through the complaint survey process rather than as part of the standard survey. Read the memo here.