Under the changes, regular inspections of nursing homes, home health and hospice companies, among others, will be paused for at least three weeks. “Right now, the biggest threat to our nursing home residents is the coronavirus,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in an interview. Annual inspections are traditionally the nursing-home industry’s main form of oversight, along with special exams responding to complaints. Yet the virus’s heavy toll on nursing homes has scrambled traditional thinking about oversight. The agency has also told nursing homes to restrict visitors and cancel communal activities, such as dining.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 23, 2020 16:30 UTC