The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have posted the first set of underlying coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) nursing home data. On April 19, 2020, CMS announced the requirement that nursing homes inform residents, their families, and their representatives of COVID-19 cases in their facilities. Nursing homes are also required to report COVID-19 cases and deaths directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CMS is making this data publicly available. CMS has also posted the results from the targeted inspections announced on March 4, 2020, to allow inspectors to focus on the most serious health and safety threats like infectious diseases and abuse during the pandemic. This will ensure that residents, families and the general public have information about COVID-19 in nursing homes.
The data shows that as of May 31, 2020, about 13,600 nursing homes – approximately 88 percent of the 15,400 Medicare and Medicaid nursing homes – had reported the required data to the (CDC). These facilities reported over 95,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and almost 32,000 deaths. CMS plans to update the data weekly. See the state survey memo on COVID-19 nursing home data.
Since March 4, 2020 CMS and its network of state-based inspectors have conducted over 8,300 surveys with the results of a total of 5,700. The results of the completed surveys and the reports are available on Nursing Home Compare. CMS plans to post the results of the inspections monthly on an ongoing basis as they are completed. See the State survey memo on nursing home inspections. See frequently asked questions on the nursing home COVID-19 data and the inspection results.