Back to News

Temporary Waivers for Long-Term Care Facilities During COVID-19 Crisis

Published on

April 3, 2020

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued numerous temporary waivers for long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 crisis:

  • Facilities may use buildings for skilled nursing that are not certified if isolation of COVID-19 patients is necessary, subject to state approval.
  • Facilities may relocate residents within the facility, or transfer a resident to another facility if necessary to isolate residents with the COVID-19 virus.
  • The three-day prior hospitalization requirement for coverage of a skilled nursing facility stay is waived.
  • CMS is allowing facilities to suspend new resident assessments, and to extend the timeframes of minimum data assessments.
  • Facilities may delay training of nursing staff, provided that they can demonstrate the competency of their staff.
  • Facilities are permitted to restrict in-person resident groups and meetings while social-distancing rules are in effect.
  • CMS is waiving the requirement that physicians and practitioners must see residents in-person, and is permitting telehealth visits.


In separate guidance, CMS is allowing facilities to restrict visitation. That would include all regular visitors and non-essential personnel, except for certain compassionate care situations, such as an end-of-life situation.

The goals of these relaxed standards are to keep residents out of the hospital to ensure that hospitals can handle the potential surge of COVID-19 patients; to remove barriers for physicians, nurses and other clinicians to treat residents in a skilled nursing setting; and to alleviate the administrative burden on facilities during the health crisis to allow them to focus primarily on protecting their residents from the spread of COVID-19.

If you have any questions on this new guidance or any questions about the impact of COVID-19 on your senior living facility, please contact me or any member of the Barley Snyder Senior Living Industry Group.

DISCLAIMER: As we face an unprecedented time of legal and business uncertainty, we are working to provide updates on the status of important legal news related to COVID-19. It is important to note that the situation is changing rapidly and the information provided in our alerts is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship. The information contained in our alerts is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. If you have questions about your legal situation or about how to apply information contained in this alert to your situation or about how any other information found on our website may affect your business, you should reach out to one of our attorneys. We assume no responsibility for the accuracy or timeliness of any information provided herein or by any linked site. As information changes rapidly, users are strongly advised to verify any information before relying upon it.


Related News

View More News
News Alert
March 22, 2024

More Government Scrutiny of Private Equity’s Role in Healthcare, Including Nursing Facilities

On March 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), F...

Learn More
Press Release
March 15, 2024

Barley Snyder Partner Jeff Lobach Selected to CPBJ Power 100 List for Fourth Consecutive Year

For Immediate Release York, PA – For the fourth consecutive year, par...

Learn More
Newsletter
February 23, 2024

Barley Snyder 2023 Year In Review

Check out what the professionals of Barley Snyder have been up to in 2023 a...

Learn More

Other Upcoming Events

View All Upcoming Events
May
02
8:00 am
-
10:30 am
event
Location

Wake Up With Barley – A Morning on Real Estate 2024

Learn More
May
10
12:00 pm
-
5:00 pm
event
Location

Title IX Training: New Regulations & Updates – An Extension of the Employment Law Seminar

Learn More
Apr
10
12:00 pm
-
6:00 pm
event
Location

LendiCon 2024

Learn More

Get in Touch

Our attorneys, paralegals and staff look forward to hearing from you. Please reach out to let us know how we can help.

Get In Touch
RECOGNIZED IN
Super Lawyers
Best Law Firms US News
Best Lawyers