Allowing nursing home staff experiencing mild Covid symptoms to work, masked, appears to be better for resident welfare than furloughing infected workers. Missing tasks outweighed increased harm from Covid transmission in a simulated scenario, according to a study published Monday morning in JAMA Network Open. Understaffing was associated with missed tasks, resident hospitalizations and deaths, […]
Category: Compliance
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against federal agencies over the minimum staffing rule for nursing homes, claiming the rule’s implementation without clear congressional authorization constitutes an overreach of regulatory power. The Texas lawsuit argues that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) staffing mandate violates the Major Questions Doctrine […]
The quality of care and spending among skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) across the U.S. varies widely, particularly for dual-eligible residents – those who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare – according to federal data released on Wednesday. In its National Summary Report, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared metrics related to discharge […]
A resolution to the lawsuit challenging the nursing home federal minimum staffing mandate could be reached as early as January, if the court finalizes a proposed schedule put forth by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), LeadingAge and other industry leaders. If this turns out to be the case, the lawsuit would be resolved more […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) issuance of civil monetary penalties is in the crosshairs of litigators, as increasingly gained enforcement power comes up against a Supreme Court decision. In the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) v. Jarkesy case, SCOTUS ruled that defendants have a constitutional right to make their case to a […]
The new facility assessments for nursing homes, which went into effect on Thursday, are prompting mixed reviews from nursing home operators regarding their utility. The feedback ranges from assessments being a surprisingly useful tool for enhancing transparency in communication and fine-tuning staffing needs for ever-changing patient acuity, to concerns that they are costly and redundant. […]
One of Petersen Health Care’s nursing homes on Monday was placed in receivership, following the Illinois operator’s bankruptcy filing in March. The Courtyard Estates of Farmington nursing home will now be overseen by a court-appointed receiver, thanks to a deal brokered by the Bank of Farmington, according to a report from Peoria Public Radio. Attorney […]
Nursing home operators say the civil monetary penalty (CMP) expansion is proving to be one of the most problematic features of the 2025 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) final rule. Initially, there was excitement for the Medicare payment increase, but this has turned to dread for operators who are already dealing with […]
In the past year, Missouri has made significant strides in reducing its backlog of overdue nursing home inspections, providing a potentially instructive model for other states grappling with similar challenges. According to recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the percentage of nursing homes in Missouri that had not been inspected […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late Wednesday finalized its 2025 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) rule, approving a net increase of 4.2%, or approximately $1.4 billion in Medicare Part A payments for next year. The increase is calculated based on the SNF market basket percentage increase of 3%, plus […]
Meticulous documentation is the name of the game for nursing home operators looking to keep up with Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes and maintaining a good rating in the Five-Star Quality Rating System. This is especially because inaccurate or insufficient data could affect a facility for at least a year in the future. Leaders in […]
Over 200 nursing homes in New York have united in a legal challenge against the state’s Department of Health over alterations to Medicaid reimbursement formulas that they argue have unfairly deprived them of funding. The lawsuit centers on case-mix adjustments used to calculate Medicaid reimbursements based on the intensity of care. Traditionally recalculated every six […]
Since last October’s Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes – considered the most significant since 2011 – nursing homes have faced more rigorous regulatory requirements and administrative burdens to implement them. However, these changes can serve as renewed opportunities to improve resident care through an interdisciplinary team approach, which can result in savings. To draw success, […]
Following President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, leaders in the nursing home space say there likely won’t be any change to the federal minimum staffing mandate or lawsuit given an ongoing strong connection with unions. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to run in his place. On Monday, Harris […]
Some nursing homes have been impacted as electronic medical record systems (EHRs) are down due to a global tech outage, industry insiders told Skilled Nursing News. However, the extent of the disruption is unclear as yet. “The impact of today’s Crowdstrike crisis is unfolding, so we do not have specifics at this time,” a LeadingAge […]
In an era when surveys – and delay in surveys – have been the cause for much stress among nursing home operators, a sometimes undervalued and overlooked strategy to minimize survey risk involves operators developing strong relationships with their state survey agencies. That’s certainly an easier task compared to getting approval from national agencies like […]
The relationship between different nursing home staffing types and health outcomes is incredibly nuanced, and as operators grapple with optimizing the clinical workforce in the aftermath of the staffing mandate, researchers in the space say more study is needed to really understand the correlation between roles and quality measures. According to a July study published […]
In the wake of Indiana’s transition to managed care for Medicaid services on July 1st, nursing home operators across the state are grappling with significant financial uncertainties due to delayed reimbursements, leaving many small facilities struggling to make payroll for their employees. Jeff Huffman, chief operations officer of The Strategies, a family-owned long-term care organization […]
As the federal government’s new staffing mandate looms large for nursing homes, operators are grappling with challenges in meeting the upcoming facility assessment requirements but urge compliance despite the burdens on staff. Stuart Almer, an industry veteran who is also president and CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System in New York, highlighted the daunting nature of […]
Financial and operational challenges in a climate of ever-tightening regulation have intensified to the point where industry leaders have been continuously adapting, yet bleeding profits. In a panel discussion led by Skilled Nursing News titled, “Mandate and Margin: Skilled Nursing CEOs on Rethinking Staffing, Payments, & Strategic Business Imperatives,” executives discussed how SNF operators are […]
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