Skilled nursing facilities need reasonable flexibility and additional support to meet the latest federal mandate – an off-cycle revalidation process for Medicare – for which nursing home advocates are seeking an extension.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) sent a letter on Wednesday to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure asking for an extension from the 90-day deadline to a 180-day deadline.
The federal agencies didn’t provide ample notice, guidance and communication with this requirement, the association argued.
AHCA/NCAL also requested CMS and HHS retract revalidation requests that have already been sent out, and follow past practice of providing six months’ advance notice of revalidation, and develop more detailed guidance.
The agencies should direct Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to respond to provider questions and outline general guidance on how to complete the form before it’s due, while also providing clarity on how personal identifiable information (PII) will be protected, confirming this sensitive information won’t be posted online, AHCA said.
On Sept. 19, CMS announced that the industry had to revalidate between October and December, as part of a disclosure rule that was finalized in November 2023. Nursing homes will need to collect additional data on ownership, managerial and related party information not previously required.
About one-third of the nation’s nursing homes will receive these notices each month. After that, operators have 90 days from the date of the letter to respond and submit newly required information to keep their Medicare enrollment status active. Noncompliance could result in an operator no longer able to receive Medicare payments.
The rule requires facilities to implement a collection of extensive data without proper notice or sufficient advanced guidance. It’s an unnecessary burden and “puts paperwork over patients,” Martin Allen, senior vice president of reimbursement policy for AHCA, said in the letter.
“Ultimately, it’s important to balance and streamline reporting, so that long term care staff can devote their time where it should be—with their residents,” Allen said of the revalidation process. “Meanwhile, let’s continue to work together on what will truly drive quality for our nation’s nursing home residents: investing in their caregivers and focusing on the metrics that matter.”
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AHCA/NCAL, American Health Care Association, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS, HHS