April 20, 2005—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced, in an interim final rule published in the Federal Register on March 25, 2005, that nursing homes that do not have sprinkler systems or hard-wired smoke detectors must install battery-operated smoke detectors in patient rooms and public areas.
Nursing homes will have a one year installation phase-in period beginning May 24, 2005.
The decision by CMS is a response to nursing home fires in Connecticut and Tennessee in 2003. CMS worked closely with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to develop the new standards, which will affect over 4,000 nursing homes, the association says.
For more information on the ruling, visit the CMS Web site.
