CMS has issued a new memorandum to State Survey Agencies that provides detailed guidance to surveyors on how to evaluate compliance with the Home Health Acceptance-to-Service Condition of Participation during surveys.

While this Condition of Participation became effective on January 1, 2025, this new guidance gives agencies a much clearer understanding of what surveyors will be reviewing. The guidance includes two new survey tags and focuses on whether agencies have a written acceptance-to-service policy that is consistently applied and considers:

• Patient care needs
• Current caseload and staffing
• Staff skills and competencies

CMS also reminds agencies to ensure that publicly available information—including websites and other materials—accurately reflects the services they currently provide.

To prepare for future surveys, agencies should consider:

• Reviewing their Acceptance-to-Service Policy to ensure it meets CMS requirements.
• Confirming the policy is reviewed annually and consistently followed.
• Verifying that public information accurately reflects current services.

The CMS memorandum and updated survey guidance are available here: