On June 6, a memo was posted from the Directors, Quality, Safety & Oversight Group (QSOG) and Survey & Operations Group (SOG) titled “Revisions to the Review and Approval of Plans of Correction (POCs) and CLIA Allegations of Compliance (AOCs).”
Memorandum summary:
• When noncompliance is cited at a level that requires a mandatory onsite revisit (per existing CMS policy and procedure), CMS and/or the State Survey Agency (the “State”) will obtain a POC/AOC for the cited noncompliance.
• CMS and States should prioritize the revisit survey as the primary means of assessing compliance, rather than reviewing multiple submissions of a POC/AOC for approval.
• If CMS or the State are unable to approve a POC/AOC after two submissions by the facility or lab, they should reach out to the facility or lab to confirm their readiness and intention to request a revisit, which should then be scheduled accordingly.