CMS Considers Vaccine Reporting Mandate for Assisted Living, Implements for Nursing Homes

info • May 17, 2021

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Tuesday that it is now requiring nursing homes to report on the status of Covid-19 vaccinations for residents and staff. And, the agency said it’s seeking comment on whether to do the same for providers of assisted living.

The interim final rule requires long-term care facilities to relay weekly data on staff and resident vaccinations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Nursing homes must already report to NHSN data on Covid-19 testing, cases and deaths for staff and residents. The new requirement also applies to intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

CMS touts the new policy as a way to assist with monitoring vaccine distribution among residents and staff, and to identify facilities that might need more resources.

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