CMS Issues Updated Guidance on COVID-19 Protection for Congregate Care Settings

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it was issuing a new Quality, Safety & Oversight (QSO) memo, The Importance of Timely Use of COVID-19 Therapeutics. The purpose of the QSO memo is to ensure that providers and suppliers, especially those delivering care in congregate care settings, can protect individuals and residents against transmission of COVID-19 while providing appropriate treatment when individuals test positive for the virus. The memo also reiterates that providers must stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and that nursing homes are required to make COVID-19 vaccines available to residents.