CMS Issues New Survey Procedural Guide

Effective with the start of the new federal survey process in November 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has replaced Appendix P of the State Operations Manual (SOM) with the Long Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP) Procedure Guide. Appendix P had historically been the survey protocol, containing high-level policy as well as step-by-step procedures for conducting the LTC standard survey. The latest version of the LTCSP Procedure Guide, effective as of May 6, 2018, is what surveyors will use to complete the survey process. While the document aligns closely with the software that surveyors use and the forms they must complete, it also provides insight into the structure of the survey and how tasks such as sample selection are accomplished. In that way, members may find the document helpful.

Contact: Elliott Frost, efrost@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8832