CMS Updates COVID-19 Test Reporting Requirements

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Kari Everson

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its test reporting guidance, making reporting negative or inconclusive COVID-19 test results optional for nursing homes.

Last month, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided updated guidance on reporting COVID-19 tests for organizations with a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) waiver.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) act granted the HHS secretary authority to determine how COVID-19 tests are reported. With that authority, the HHS secretary announced that starting April 4, only positive antigen and molecular COVID-19 test results must be reported. This information has been in effect for assisted living communities since that date. 

Initially, nursing homes were asked to wait to change reporting practices until the CMS updated their requirements. On April 15, CMS released QSO-21-10-CLIA. This revised memo updates CLIA surveyor guidance and aligns it with the updated reporting information published by the HHS secretary. Nursing homes must continue reporting positive antigen and molecular (NAAT/PCR) tests. However, the negative or inconclusive result reporting is optional.

The new testing requirements will make onsite antigen and molecular testing easier and more efficient for providers. It may be a good time to review your current testing protocols and determine whether a change is right for you. For survey purposes, when surveyors are onsite, they will survey to the guidance in place when the test results are obtained.

For questions concerning COVID-19 testing and test reporting, please contact Kari Everson.