Updates include new recommendations for State Survey Agencies to consider the prevalence of falls when selecting a nursing home from the SFF candidate list and clarification that standard health inspections will be completed in SFFs at least once every six months (no less than twice annually), while Life Safety Code and Emergency Preparedness surveys will be conducted at least annually. In addition, selection for the SFF candidate list will now be based on the past two standard health inspections rather than the past three standard surveys.

The Nursing Home Care Compare January quarterly refresh has been delayed until Feb. 5^th due to a data issue.

CMS has begun notifying SNFs that they have been selected to participate in the data validation process. Notification letters were issued through iQIES on Jan. 12^th to a portion of the 1,500 SNFs that will be selected throughout the year.

LeadingAge NY remains committed to supporting providers with up‑to‑date guidance on DOH survey expectations, particularly related to the most often cited deficiencies of last year.

CMS has released the State Performance Standards System Guidance by which State Survey Agency performance will be measured in FY 2026.

75% of homes identified by the State as top-quality performers over a multi-year period were LeadingAge NY members.

DOH has developed a two-part training course (OALTC-576) available on the LMS, offering nursing homes a step-by-step guide for completing role assignments and submitting ePOCs.

Contact Jodi Eyigor at jeyigor@leadingage.org to provide your feedback.