The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced an enhanced, focused inspection process for all inspectors and facilities to be used on a national scale. This process includes a self-assessment tool, developed in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for providers to ensure facilities are prepared to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Building on its previous guidance issued on March 4, the agency is also temporarily postponing routine inspections to focus only on infection control and Immediate Jeopardy situations where patient safety is placed in imminent danger. In this effort, CMS says it isn’t seeking to be punitive but rather to respond to urgent issues while proactively ensuring providers are compliant with federal health and safety standards.

“Today, we’re issuing a call to action to nursing homes, hospitals, and the entire healthcare system: Don’t wait to be inspected,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma, said in a press release. “Starting today, you can—and should—use CMS’s self-assessment tool to ensure you’re prepared to prevent the spread of coronavirus.”

For a list of the types of federal inspections that will be prioritized and conducted over the next few weeks as well as a list of inspections that will not be conducted, visit here.