The Federation of American Hospitals released a statement in response to CMS' hospital surveying announcement:

“In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, hospitals must maintain a steady focus on the demands of patient care. At the same time despite the importance of oversight of hospitals, it is also important to safeguard the health of surveyors with limited access to PPE by not putting them at unnecessary risk. 

Towards these ends, FAH today commends CMS for narrowing the focus of hospital surveys and assessments to those most important to ensure patient safety in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. We look forward to continuing to work with CMS to ensure survey prioritization and reduce regulatory burden across the board for hospitals during this national emergency.”

The complete CMS memo on the Prioritization of Survey Activities can be found here.