Why nursing homes can exhale — but not get complacent
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 07, 2017
The announced delay of full enforcement of new survey requirements is indeed good news for nursing home operators and all of their compliance officers. Their blood pressure should now lower a few millimeters....
Officials: More additions and rebasings of nursing home ratings to come
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 23, 2015
Nearly one-third of the nation’s skilled nursing facilities lost a rating star due purely to administrative changes Friday, when regulators also emphasized that more quality measures will be added...
Laws and policies in focus next week for LTC therapy and ancillary services providers
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 08, 2013
A keynote address by Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will highlight opening day of the annual winter Legislative and Regulatory Conference of the...
BULLETIN: CMS ‘ratcheting up’ nursing home penalties in light of 26,000-resident, 450-worker...
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 01, 2020
Nearly 26,000 residents and 450 workers in U.S. nursing homes have died from COVID-19, federal authorities announced Monday afternoon.
CMS call takes listeners back in time for MDS compliance but offers nothing new on staffing mandate
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 01, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services invited the nation’s nursing home stakeholders to a conference call Thursday but played its cards close to the vest regarding its pending release of a first-ever...
CDC starts much-anticipated training for mandatory COVID-19 reporting by nursing homes
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 30, 2020
Details about the new process nursing homes will have to use to report COVID-19 infections and deaths directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began flowing Wednesday.
BREAKING: CMS clarifies nursing homes may put some limits on visitors
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 23, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday acknowledged “very limited and rare exceptions” that would allow nursing homes to restrict some visits.
Cases subject to escrow
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 01, 2013
Federal regulators have expanded the use of escrow accounts so that as of this month, providers will be subject to their use for any kind of deficiency from a standard or complaint survey that draws a...
Nursing homes criticize CMS chest-thumping about $15.5M pandemic fines, severe citations
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 17, 2020
Nursing home operators were left shaking their heads and criticizing the Trump administration over the weekend after the latter touted larger than usual numbers of serious citations and fine amounts against...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has withdrawn a much-criticized Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule that could have caused havoc for skilled nursing providers, in at least 11 states in particular....