[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 42, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 42CFR401.133]

[Page 15-16]
 
                         TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH
 
                    CHAPTER IV--CENTERS FOR MEDICARE
                          & MEDICAID SERVICES,
                        DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
                             HUMAN SERVICES
 
PART 401_GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS--Table of Contents
 
                Subpart B_Confidentiality and Disclosure
 
Sec.  401.133  Availability of official reports on providers and suppliers of 
services, State agencies, intermediaries, and carriers under Medicare.

    Except as otherwise provided for in Sec.  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 
Sec.  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

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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 Sec.  488.5, Sec.  488.6 or 
Sec.  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]