CMS Pilot to Create New Surveyor Tools, Processes for Assessing Infection Control

​The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has started a three-year pilot project to develop new tools and processes for assessing infection prevention and control during surveys, states a December 23, 2015, memo to state survey agency directors. Ten pilot surveys will be conducted in fiscal year 2016; all will be performed in nursing homes. In fiscal years 2017 and 2018, educational surveys will be conducted in both nursing homes and hospitals. During the pilot project, a national contractor will conduct the surveys. The pilot project will focus on recommended practices, such as those addressing antimicrobial stewardship and care transitions, in addition to existing regulations.