Advocates work behind scenes to stop, reshape staffing rule as finalization nears
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 16, 2024
Several nursing home advocacy organizations have met with the White House Office of Management and Budget in recent days, angling to change the proposed minimum staffing rule that could be issued in final...
Hitting the road for rural respect
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 17, 2023
This week takes me on a road trip, but I assure you there’s no VW bus with a dashboard full of party snacks.
Cost, interpretation of new enhanced barrier precautions worry providers as rule kicks in
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 03, 2024
A new set of regulations requiring the use of enhanced barrier precautions for many nursing home patients has left providers scrambling to understand the rationale behind some standards and grappling with...
Three questions to boost nursing home audit readiness
By
Brian Evans
Sep 20, 2023
Nursing home and long-term care operators have already faced a number of key shifts since the beginning of 2023. Consider a recent example from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: an update on...
Wait-and-see staffing rule exemptions meant to ‘safeguard’ residents: CMS
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 25, 2024
Skilled nursing providers will not have to go through a stand-alone application process to be exempted from provisions of a new federal staffing mandate, an official with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Expect another Five-Star freeze amid nursing home survey delays, experts warn
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 20, 2024
Staffing measures used to calculate nursing homes’ federal ratings will freeze in April, further complicating a system based on often outdated and constantly changing metrics, experts warned last week.
[UPDATED] BREAKING: CMS proposes 4.1 percent nursing homes pay boost; staffing minimum not addressed
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 29, 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Thursday proposed a 4.1% pay increase for nursing homes in fiscal 2025 but declined to issue an update on its staffing minimum proposal as part of its annual...
No longer the CMS boss, Verma sounds more like provider friend than foe
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 03, 2023
Dwell on the past too much at your own peril, but providers could be forgiven if Seema Verma had them fondly looking back Wednesday.
Back from the brink: Inside the battle to save nation’s second-largest nursing home
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 15, 2024
BALTIMORE — Two years after federal officials stripped the nation’s second largest nursing home of its Medicare and Medicaid certification, officials have outlined the 960-step plan it took to walk...
Section D surprises! The season’s biggest change
By
Joel VanEaton
Oct 31, 2023
There has been a slogan that has circulated on social media recently that goes like this: “Fall is proof that change is beautiful.” Hmm… I suppose individual perspective is the key to whether that...