# QAA committee

> The QAA (quality assessment and assurance) committee runs a nursing home's QAPI quality program. It meets at least every quarter, as CMS requires.

Source: https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/qaa-committee · Updated Oct 5, 2026

Also known as: quality assessment and assurance committee, QAA

## Who is on it

42 CFR 483.75(g) says the committee must include the director of nursing, the medical director or a designee, and the infection preventionist. It also needs at least three other staff. One must be the administrator, an owner, a board member or another leader.

It reports to the governing body. It meets at least quarterly and as needed. It writes and carries out plans to fix quality problems and reviews data, including drug regimen review data.

## Rules and an example

Surveyors cite this rule at F868. The rule also limits sharing. A State or the Secretary may not require the committee's records except to check its own compliance. Good-faith efforts to find and fix quality problems are not a basis for penalties.

Example: the committee reviews three months of resident falls and sees a cluster on night shift. It starts a [performance improvement project](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/performance-improvement-project) on toileting rounds.

Mix-up: the committee is not the whole [QAPI](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/qapi) program. Hospital and surgery center rules do not use the term. They give oversight to the governing body.

## Frequently asked questions

### How often must the QAA committee meet?

At least quarterly and as needed (42 CFR 483.75(g)(2)(i)). It meets to coordinate and judge QAPI work, such as picking issues for improvement projects.

### Who must be on the QAA committee?

The director of nursing, the medical director or designee, the infection preventionist and at least three other staff, one a leader (administrator, owner or board member).

### Can surveyors read the committee's records?

A State or the Secretary may not require them except to check compliance with 42 CFR 483.75. Surveyors can still ask for proof that QAPI works.

## Sources

- [42 CFR 483.75: Nursing home QAPI](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-483.75)
- [CMS State Operations Manual, Appendix PP: Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care Facilities](https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf)
- [CMS: QAPI at a Glance, a step-by-step guide for nursing homes](https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/QAPI/downloads/QAPIAtaGlance.pdf)

## Related terms

- [QAPI](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/qapi)
- [Performance improvement project](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/performance-improvement-project)
- [F-tag](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/f-tag)
- [Corrective and preventive action](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/corrective-and-preventive-action)

## Related

- [F868 QAA committee: members, meetings and evidence](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f868)
- [F865 QAPI program and plan: what surveyors ask for](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f865)
- [F867 QAPI improvement activities: adverse event tracking](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f867)
- [QAPI Committee Meetings: Agenda, Data and Minutes](https://incidentkit.ai/use-cases/qapi-committee-meetings)
- [QAPI Meeting Agenda and Minutes Template (Printable)](https://incidentkit.ai/templates/qapi-meeting-agenda-and-minutes)
- [Nursing home QAPI requirements: 42 CFR 483.75 explained](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/cms-qapi/skilled-nursing-facilities)
