Oversight & ethics enforcementHealth & social services
HHS inspector general: CMS did not monitor whether states contract surveyors for nursing home inspections meet federal requirements
Confidence: Confirmed · 1 sourceUnited States · Oct 13, 2026
Subject of this story
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Also named
Oversight
HHS Office of Inspector General
What happened
HHS Office of Inspector General audit A-04-24-08105, issued September 2, 2026, found that CMS did not provide adequate oversight of states' use of contract surveyors to conduct nursing home surveys. CMS issued a memo outlining contracting practices but did not monitor whether state survey agencies implemented practices that achieved its objectives. In an OIG survey of 14 states that used contract surveyors, all 14 could have improved their policies and procedures to ensure CMS guidelines were met. OIG made two recommendations, including that CMS record whether each person performing a survey is an employee or contractor; CMS concurred with both.
Sources (1)
HHS-OIG A-04-24-08105: CMS Could Improve Oversight of States Use of Contract Surveyors for Nursing Home SurveysOur survey of 14 States that used contract surveyors found that all 14 could have improved their policies and procedures to ensure that the CMS guidelines were met.
Response
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Statement given
CMS concurred with both recommendations.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.