Nursing Home Electronic Plan of Correction (ePOC)
Health Standards Section (HSS) of the Louisiana Department of Health is pleased to announce that we are one of the states chosen to participate in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Plan of Correction (ePOC) project. HSS has been participating in the project since June, 2015 and since that time over 160 nursing facilities have successfully enrolled. HSS is hopeful that all nursing facilties will complete the enrollment process.
Statements of deficiency 2567 (SOD), which have been emailed to nursing facilities in the past are now made available via a secure website created by CMS. Electronic Plans of Correction (ePOC) allow enrolled Federally Certified Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and Nursing Facilities (NFs) to:
- see their CMS 2567 Statements of Deficiencies (SODs) online;
- submit their Plan of Correction (POC) online;
- eliminate the need for paper based communications regarding POCs;
- review letters added to the survey by the State Agency or CMS Regional Office;
- attach documentation to support ther Plan of Correction; and
- Print the 2567 for posting from the ePOC website.
ePOC will be used for all Health, Life Safety Code, Revisits, and Complaint surveys.
Overview:
Basic steps in the ePOC process are much the same as in the current paper-based process, but are completed using ePOC functionality in the Federal database and online applications.
The electronic Plan of Correction (ePOC) system provider a convenient, centralized workplace, which enables CMS and the State Survey Agency (SSA) to electronically manage and track POCs for ePOC-enrolled health care providers under their oversight.
To start the process, the SSA posts a survey to the ASPEN Web ePOC website. Facility users review the Statement of Deficiencies and submit plan of correction information. The SSA can also post related survey, enforcement, and intake letters to the ePOC website along with the SOD. Providers can attach documentation to support their submitted POC(s); the SSA can review the attachments until final approval of the POC(s).
To enhance communication and monitor timeliness, automated email notification is provided to specified SSA and facility recipients as needed throughout the ePOC life cycle.
Phase 1 -Training:
CMS has created a webinar to explain how nursing facilities will use the system for processing their plans of correction using the ePOC process.
- This online training is now available.
- CMS requires each provider to designate at least 2 persons as ePOC facility users. Users who currently have access to the MDS system and already have a CMSnet and Personal Login ID for those systems can use those logins for ePOC; however, they will still need to request ePOC access to be added for the second log in.
- Designated facility ePOC users must view the online webinar training before they will be able to enroll for IDs and Passwords to access the system.