On January 20, CMS directed its surveyor agents to significantly relax their scope of operations within the hospital setting for 30 days from the issuance of the directive. Moreover, this temporary guidance is subject to possible renewal involving additional 30-day periods. The move was sparked, in part, by a request from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to eliminate or severely restrict surveying activities during the pandemic. In response, CMS has announced that, during this initial 30-day period, it will be suspending certain hospital surveying activities .