Following its July 16, 2026 announcement of plans to roll out the new Risk-Based Survey for nursing homes nationwide this September, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 13 released resources to help providers prepare.
Available on the Nursing Homes page of the CMS website in the Downloads section, the survey resources include the typically available resources used by state survey agencies during standard recertification surveys, adapted for use on the Risk-Based Survey. Training videos will also be available on the Quality, Safety and Education Portal (QSEP) in the future but are not available yet.
Reviewing these resources will help nursing homes know what to expect from surveys utilizing the new Risk-Based Survey model, which LeadingAge views as exciting step forward in survey and certification reform.
Members should note, however, that CMS estimates approximately 12% of nursing homes will qualify for a Risk-Based Survey and not all qualified nursing homes will receive this survey model.
For this reason, nursing homes should continue to refer to the standard recertification survey resources and the State Operations Manual (Chapter 7 and Appendix PP) to assist with compliance and survey preparation activities.
