Nursing homes across America would, for the first time, have to install sprinkler systems throughout their buildings if they wish to continue to serve Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, under a new regulation proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

"CMS is taking further action to protect the lives of our beneficiaries through a proven effective approach to fire safety," said Leslie V. Norwalk, acting administrator of CMS. "Automatic sprinkler systems are integral to increasing safety in nursing homes, and we look forward to their installation in all of the nursing homes across the country."

As an interim step toward today's announcement, in March 2005, CMS began requiring all nursing homes that did not have sprinklers to install battery-operated smoke alarms in all patient rooms and public areas. Lack of smoke alarms in the facilities in Hartford and Nashville that had fatal nursing home fires in 2003 may have contributed to a delayed response time to the fires, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office issued in July 2004.