An update on President Biden’s initiatives for long-term care
By
Angela Rinehart
Norris Cunningham
Jul 25, 2022
President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. Markedly, he announced his intention to “set higher standards for nursing homes” to “make sure your loved ones get the care...
CMS ‘heartless’ for its big nursing home pay cut proposal
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 12, 2022
Providers are struggling with the federal government’s “heartless” decision to decrease pay for SNFs by $320 million in fiscal 2023.
CMS chief holds second 1-on-1 with providers as reform looms
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 04, 2022
Leaders of several nonprofit skilled nursing providers warned Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure about the potential impact of “unfunded mandates” and “counterproductive”...
Higher Medicaid spending away from SNFs here to stay, official says
By
Danielle Brown
Mar 09, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expects that Medicaid’s recent trend of spending more on home- and community-based services than institutional care will continue for the foreseeable future,...
Fines, fines, fines… we are not fine
By
Jessica Curtis
Jan 10, 2022
Record instances and dollar amounts of fines to skilled nursing facilities just made public last month highlight the tense regulatory environment operators are managing through. Despite federal “provider...
Something’s got to give…
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Dec 01, 2021
I read recently that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is back at it again. Instead of reasonably mandating surveyors be vaccinated, just as CMS has required nursing homes to be vaccinated,...
Federal guidance on vaccine mandate ‘can’t come soon enough’: expert
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 08, 2021
Guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all healthcare workers can’t come soon enough for those in nursing homes, according to one industry...
Former CMS administrator says nursing homes will remain key test sites for COVID therapies, other treatments
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 14, 2021
Nursing homes could remain a proving ground for valuable COVID-19 therapeutics, former CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., said during a recent technology conference.
CMS must refine data on antipsychotic drug use in nursing homes, OIG says
By
Alicia Lasek
May 07, 2021
The Minimum Data Set should not be CMS’ sole source for determining the number of nursing home residents using antipsychotic drugs, according to a new report from HHS’ Office of the Inspector General.
Danger ahead?: SNFs face potentially steep cuts as CMS considers changes to PDPM, VBP program
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 12, 2021
A recalibration to the Patient Driven Payment Model could have troubling payment implications for skilled nursing providers who are still trying to manage a difficult operating environment caused by the...