Tennessee health officials are suspending admissions to a skilled nursing facility citing unpaid bed taxes.
Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, M.D., announced on Friday that it is cutting off new admissions to the Cambridge House, a 130-bed SNF located in Bristol, TN. He’s also appointed a special monitor to review the facility’s operations, according to an announcement.
The state said it made the decision after Cambridge’s “continued failure” to make payments or establish a payback plan with TennCare for its outstanding bed taxes. Failure to do so, the state said, “threatens the financial viability of the facility and thus poses a detriment to the welfare of residents living in the facility.”
A Cambridge company official declined to comment Monday.
“Bed taxes,” sometimes referred to as “provider fees” are charged as a percentage of nursing home or hospitals revenues, or calculated based on bed totals in a facility. The proceeds are then spread among all participating providers, with increased payments to nursing homes that treat more Medicaid patients.
The suspension will remain in effect until conditions have been corrected, and a copy of the order must be posted at Cambridge House’s entrance, state officials said.
