On February 12, 2021, the Indiana Department of Health (IDH) announced that standard recertification surveys and life safety code surveys for comprehensive care facilities (nursing facilities) and licensure surveys for residential care facilities (licensed assisted living) will resume beginning April 12, 2021.
Surveys will be prioritized based on CMS’s QSO 20-30, as follows:
- Facilities that have had a significant number of COVID-19 cases;
- Special focus facilities/candidates; and
- Facilities cited for harm level or above deficiency in abuse or neglect, infection control, violations of transfer or discharge requirements, insufficient staffing or competency, or other quality of care issues, such as falls and/or pressure ulcers.
As IDH prepares to resume surveys based on the above prioritization, facilities are strongly encouraged to begin drafting any necessary Performance Improvement Plans to address self-identified performance issues. For example, if your facility has failed to complete and/or document weekly skin checks, obtaining a weight on a high risk-resident, or conduct a post-fall assessment, a Performance Improvement Plan should be established. These plans should be developed as if you received a 2567 for a citation. The Performance Improvement Plan should then be submitted to your facility’s QAPI Committee and monitored for action towards compliance. A QAPI Plan Review Checklist can be found here for your convenience.
Facilities are also encourage to review the past three years of survey citations in order to properly update your facility’s Plan of Correction. If you have questions or need assistance through this process, please contact Lori Davenport at Ldavenport@ihca.org.