On March 15, 2024, CMS released Memorandum QSO-24-07-HHA. The memorandum summarizes changes made to State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix B – Guidance for Surveyors: Home Health Agencies based on final rules which have amended home health conditions of participation. Key changes include:
On March 15, 2024, CMS released Memorandum QSO-24-07-HHA. The memorandum summarizes changes made to State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix B – Guidance for Surveyors: Home Health Agencies based on final rules which have amended home health conditions of participation. Key changes include:
- Retires CMS memos that are no longer applicable or have been incorporated into Appendix B.
- Adds the survey protocol for HHAs to Part I of Appendix B. Appendix B replaces older CMS memos that we are retiring and describes the requirements and procedures for conducting an HHA survey.
- Revises the Level 1 standards that surveyors must assess during a standard survey.
- Added three Emergency Preparedness tags to Level 1 standards. A partial extended survey is conducted when noncompliance is identified in any Level 1 Standard.
- CMS no longer identifies specific Level 2 standards; instead, when noncompliance with a Level 1 standard is identified, all remaining standards within the relevant CoP are evaluated, and a determination must be made as to the compliance with the condition.
- Revises tags to reflect updated regulatory language based on final rules and adds interpretive guidance where appropriate.
- Consolidates tags to remove redundancy.
- Adds survey procedures to multiple tags to assist surveyors in assessing compliance with the regulatory requirements.
- Adds a cross-reference to Appendix Z for the HHA emergency preparedness tags.
- Makes multiple technical and formatting revisions to fix regulatory citations, acronyms, and tag titles.
- Changes go into effect immediately
- Read full memorandum HERE.
