With the federal government shutdown now over, CMS and State Survey Agencies are beginning to ramp survey and certification activities back
With the federal government shutdown now over, CMS and State Survey Agencies are beginning to ramp survey and certification activities back up. During the shutdown, routine Medicare-funded surveys were paused while Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) and other “excepted” enforcement activities continued.
For LTC providers, the reopening does not signal an immediate surge in survey activity. However, it does mean that operations will resume in the context of a growing backlog. Facilities should anticipate that surveyors will be under pressure to catch up and will remain focused on high-risk areas and repeat deficiencies.
The shutdown did not alter day-to-day regulatory obligations. Resident care, documentation, and QAPI expectations remained fully in place throughout the pause. With the government now reopened, surveyors will return to facilities and continue their usual review of care, systems, and documentation, informed by any pending issues that accumulated during the interruption.
What should LTC facilities do now
• Stay IJ ready. Continue brief daily checks on infection prevention, supervision and falls, food safety, change-in-condition follow up, and pain management. These are the areas most likely to drive serious citations.
• Ensure clear documentation. Confirm that all work completed during and after the shutdown is fully documented, including change-in-condition assessments, care plan updates, incident follow up, practitioner and responsible-party notifications, and QAPI actions.
• Refresh your revisit binder or survey packet. If you have alleged compliance on any previous IJ or actual-harm citations, verify that your plan of correction evidence, audits, training logs, and monitoring data are current, organized, and ready to present.
• Communicate with your team. Inform frontline staff that survey activities are resuming and review the roles and responsibilities required during a survey, including who communicates with surveyors, who gathers records, who shadows, and who engages with families and physicians.
The takeaway
With the shutdown resolved, survey activity is resuming in a system now facing additional backlog. Expectations for quality and safety remain unchanged. Facilities that maintained readiness throughout the pause and can clearly demonstrate their work will be best positioned as surveyors return.
For support with survey readiness planning during this transition and beyond, contact Polaris Group Consulting.
