Except as otherwise provided for in §488.325 of this chapter for SNFs, the following must be made available to the public under the conditions specified:

(a) Statements of deficiencies and survey reports on providers of services prepared by State agencies.

(1) Statements of deficiencies based upon official survey reports prepared after January 31, 1973, by a State agency pursuant to its agreement entered into under section 1864 of the Social Security Act and furnished to CMS, which relate to a State agency's findings on the compliance of a health care institution or facility with the applicable provisions in section 1861 of the Act and with the regulations, promulgated pursuant to those provisions, dealing with health and safety of patients in those institutions and facilities; and (2) State agency survey reports. The statement of deficiencies or report and any pertinent written statements furnished by the institution or facility on the statement of deficiencies shall be disclosed within 90 days following the completion of the survey by the State agency, but not to exceed 30 days following the receipt of the report by CMS. (See §401.130(b)(17)) for places where statements of deficiencies, reports, and pertinent written statements will be available.)

(b) CMS reports on providers of services. Upon request in writing, official reports and other formal evaluations (including followup reviews), excluding references to internal tolerance rules and practices contained therein, internal working papers or other informal memoranda, prepared and completed after January 31, 1973, which relate to the performance of providers of services under Medicare: Provided, That no information identifying individual patients, physicians, or other practitioners, or other individuals shall be disclosed under this paragraph. Those reports and other evaluations shall be disclosed within 30 days following the final preparation thereof by CMS during which time the providers of services shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to offer comments, and there shall be disclosed with those reports and evaluations any pertinent written statements furnished CMS by those providers on those reports and evaluations.

(c) Contractor performance review reports. Upon request in writing, official contractor performance review reports and other formal evaluations (including followup reviews), excluding references to internal tolerance rules and practices contained therein, internal working papers or other informal memoranda, prepared and completed after January 31, 1973, which relate to the evaluation of the performance of (1) intermediaries and carriers under their agreements entered into pursuant to sections 1816 and 1842 of the Social Security Act and (2) State agencies under their agreements entered into pursuant to section 1864 of the Act (including comparative evaluations of the performance of those intermediaries, carriers, and State agencies). The latest Contract Performance Review Report pertaining to a particular intermediary or carrier, prepared prior to February 1, 1973, may also be disclosed to any person upon request in writing. Those reports and evaluations shall be disclosed within 30 days following their final preparation by CMS (or 30 days following the request therefor, in the case of the contract performance review report prepared prior to February 1, 1973), during which time those intermediaries, carriers, and State agencies, as the case may be, shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to offer comments, and there shall be disclosed with those reports and evaluations any pertinent written statements furnished CMS by those intermediaries, carriers, on State agencies or those reports and evaluations.

(d) Accreditation surveys. Upon written request, CMS will release the accreditation survey and related information from an accreditation organization meeting the requirements of §488.5 or §493.506 of this chapter to the extent the survey and information relate to an enforcement action taken (for example, denial of payment for new admission, civil money penalties, temporary management and termination) by CMS;

(e) Upon written request, CMS will release the accreditation survey of any home health agency.

[46 FR 55696, Nov. 12, 1981; 46 FR 59249, Dec. 4, 1981, as amended at 58 FR 61838, Nov. 23, 1993; 59 FR 56232, Nov. 10, 1994; 80 FR 29834, May 22, 2015]