Nursing home surveys in Iowa have tightened up after falling behind federal standards in previous years, with inspections now occurring every 12 months on average. In 2024, nursing homes in the state were inspected every 17.1 months on average, exceeding the federal limit of 12.9 months according to the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and […]
Category: Compliance
Mounting financial pressures among both Medicaid and Medicare payers, fragmented health care settings, and the growing use of value-based care as a cost-cutting measure are creating unique challenges and opportunities for nursing homes serving dual-eligible beneficiaries. Maintaining and evolving such plans will depend on how adept nursing homes are at providing strong data to demonstrate […]
Nursing home operators may be in for a rude awakening Wednesday, when an update to the 5-Star Quality Rating System, requiring more points for ratings, goes into effect. That’s because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is increasing quality measure thresholds by one-half of the average improvement in QM scores. While thresholds to […]
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are a growing presence in nursing homes and are expected to play an even more pivotal role in the years to come, with the role tied to survey outcomes, quality improvement initiatives and value-based care. The changing survey process, the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) programs and value-based care models like […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday deferred more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota. The agencies plan to expand this deferment tool in the future. That’s approximately $867.5 million in deferred federal payments to California, and $199 million […]
More than a fourth of nursing homes nationally reported at least one serious deficiency, with 5% of the deficiencies cited in the last survey cycle rising to the level of actual harm or immediate jeopardy (IJ) posed to residents, representing serious risks, including injury, impairment or death, according to a KFF analysis released Thursday. That’s […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is launching a new risk-based survey process to “modernize” nursing home oversight by focusing inspection resources where they are most needed while recognizing high-performing facilities, the agency said Thursday. The agency noted that the changes to the survey process are driven by limited funding for nursing home […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule this week jam-packed with reforms to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), ACO participation and the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). Overall, CMS proposed a 1.19% decrease in the PFS conversion factor for 2027, but providers unable to participate in PFS incentive programs, including […]
Artificial intelligence is helping nursing homes plug the “leaky buckets” in their Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) programs by identifying documentation gaps before they become survey deficiencies, denials or compliance issues. Instead of forming QAPI programs in reaction to surveys or audits, AI-driven QAPI assists back-office staff with intake and narrows down how clinicians […]
The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA), which represents 90% of Florida’s almost 700 nursing homes, is calling upon the Department of Homeland Security to allow Haitians with temporary protected status (TPS) to continue working in long-term care while pursuing available lawful immigration pathways. Out of the 350,000 Haitians living in the country with TPS, half live in […]
Ahead of a potential CMS proposed rule aimed at reducing administrative burdens across health care – including nursing homes – that could be released in August, providers are urging the agency to standardize surveyor training, Medicare medical reviews and Minimum Data Set requirements. They argue the changes would improve consistency, reduce administrative burdens and allow […]
Nursing homes in violation of staffing requirements in New York were fined nearly $4.2 million in the last week, marking the second round of enforcement under the state’s minimum staffing law. The second round of fines, which involves 25 facilities, covers staffing violations through 2023 – the state Department of Health issued more than $8 […]
Colorado nursing homes are seeing higher citations and resident complaints as state regulators weigh changes to minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. The number of formal complaints from SNF residents in Colorado continued to climb, reaching 7,426 during the 2025 fiscal year across the state’s nursing homes and assisted living communities, a story in the […]
After its bankruptcy sale, Genesis Healthcare executives honed in on the evolution of its management team, investing in administrators and directors of nursing differently, while doubling down on its locally structured “pod model,” which has been in development for the past two years. Jake Komin, chief performance officer for Genesis views the bankruptcy as a […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing new provider enrollment safeguards aimed at reducing fraud, waste and abuse. Although included in the Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule, the enrollment provisions would apply across all Medicare provider and supplier types, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The proposal […]
Balancing the needs of seasoned and new clinicians in the nursing home sector, along with prepping them for residents with more complex cases has been a huge challenge for clinical leaders lately. This challenge comes on top of survey backlogs that, in some cases, span several years, resulting in outdated star ratings that unfairly mar […]
A specific type of collaboration between skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and hospitals is gaining traction due to the financial benefits and quality improvements it can deliver. Known as the Post Acute Network (PAN) program and focused on patients discharged to SNFs, these initiatives are prompting nursing home operators to partner more closely with hospital systems […]
There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to deciding whether a distressed property should be purchased, with the lender, prospective owner and operator all weighing in to see if it makes sense. The data tells one story, while star ratings tell another, but it’s important to understand that there’s a […]
While declining relationships, payment and care delivery misalignment have come to define the nursing home sector’s overall experience with Medicare Advantage, successful strategies to manage managed care have come into focus. Among those strategies, providers have found that taking a firmer stance in contract negotiations can yield results. Walking away from contracts has been cited […]
Bandera Healthcare is expanding its nursing home service lines for residents through community partnerships and working with health plans and hospitals. And the company isn’t done. The Arizona operator and Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) affiliate is looking at more services that also align with taking on more risk, and align with the needs of health […]
Subscribe
Receive industry updates and breaking news from SNN.