CMS Announces Immediate, Aggressive Enforcement for Special Focus Facilities (SFF) Participants

On Friday, Oct. 21, CMS announced new actions “to significantly strengthen accountability for nursing homes in the Special Focus Facilities (SFF) Program.” According to the White House press release, the “SFF Program already provides more frequent inspections of these nursing homes, but more action is needed to ensure these nursing homes improve.”

CMS will use escalating penalties for violations, including considering facilities with citations for dangerous violations in two successive inspections for termination from Medicare and/or Medicaid funding.

CMS has increased the requirements that an SFF must meet to be successful and graduate from the program. And for those SFFs that graduate from the program, CMS will continue close scrutiny of the facility for at least three years.