The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) will be auditing nursing home survey practices this year with results expected in 2025, following concerns that third-party contractors may not have sufficient oversight in the space. OIG suggested closer scrutiny of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulatory practices when it came to surveys, given […]
Category: Compliance
Owners of nursing homes in New Jersey are being barred from the state’s Medicaid program after the abrupt closure of their facility last fall that displaced more than 70 residents, jeopardizing their safety. The suspension from the federal program for Gail and Ezra Bogner, who owned the now defunct Princeton Care Center and Woodland Behavioral […]
Many nursing home operators that also have hospice operations can’t help but notice that the survey process on the hospice end is generally a more positive experience than in the nursing home world. And some say the collaborative nature – between facilities and the federal government – of hospice surveys can and should be replicated […]
There were more hospitalizations for residents in Florida nursing homes, following legislation which lowered the number of nursing hours per resident. That’s according to a report from AARP Florida, the third report the advocacy group for older adults has released since staffing hours were changed in 2022. Between 2019 to 2020 and 2022 to 2023, […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 reporting system has improved, but more still needs to be done to ensure safety protocols are promptly in place at nursing homes, a report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released Friday states. The report delved into the intricacies of CDC’s reporting process, specifically focusing […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday issued its draft Minimum Data Set (MDS) — earlier than the federal agency’s typical timeline and with less sweeping changes compared to past years. Changes, effective Oct. 1, include an update to the list of state RAI coordinators, MDS automation coordinators, CMS locations and contacts, […]
Potential changes to the nursing home survey process being mulled over by federal authorities – and aimed at standardization across states – have many operators feeling optimistic for the years ahead, especially given that regional differences in implementation can lead to extra administrative burdens and survey backlogs. Toward the end of 2023, the Centers for […]
The majority of MedPAC board members voted Thursday to recommend reducing Medicare-based payment rates for skilled nursing spending by 3% for 2025, despite voicing concerns about the federal minimum staffing proposed rule. MedPAC, which stands for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, is made up of health care professionals who make recommendations to Congress in terms […]
More than 600 skilled nursing workers may be owed back wages across 25 Massachusetts facilities in 21 communities, owned by local operator Next Step Healthcare. The Department of Labor (DOL) filed a complaint in federal court alleging that various nursing home organizations intentionally withheld overtime wages for at least 624 employees, and failed to maintain […]
Many skilled nursing operators will need to reclassify their existing relationships with independent contractors and rethink future ones in the wake of a final rule issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) on Tuesday. The DOL’s new rule revises guidance on how to determine who is an employee and who is an independent contractor under […]
Following the sudden closure of Northview Village, St. Louis’ largest nursing home, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) is calling for a formal investigation into the finances, provision of care and use of Medicaid and Medicare funds of the facility. Bush sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra […]
Deficiencies in nursing homes, both on average and those deemed more serious, have increased over time – partly as a result of decreasing staffing levels. Between 2015 and 2023, facilities with serious deficiencies, or violations of federal regulations, increased from 17% to 26%, according to a data note published on Friday by KFF. The average […]
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Secretary, Xavier Becerra, need to “do its part” to increase Covid vaccination rates among nursing home residents, starting with easing logistical issues that continue to be barriers to uptake. That’s according to LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan, who also cited the benefits of […]
The need for Medicaid as stopgap coverage for long-term care is more apparent when looking at differences in race, gender and ethnicity, and rural versus urban status of the residents. This is according to an analysis conducted by ATI Advisory, which identified the impact of disparities and differences in resources – finances, insurance and social […]
As the skilled nursing industry heads toward a new year with continued labor shortages and reimbursement gaps, service repositioning and closures among operators are expected trends for the space. And although there are signs of positivity in the form of increased Medicaid reimbursement in some states, extensive rural closures are creating “nursing home deserts” and […]
Decades-long underfunding of nursing homes continues to create unnecessary hardships for aging Americans as access issues deepen. And yet, attempts to change the current financial system have fallen on deaf ears. In an effort to get the attention of lawmakers in Washington, LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan took aim with this view at […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is recommending that for fiscal year 2025, Congress should reduce the 2024 Medicare-based payment rates for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) by 3%, citing strong margin projections, occupancy growth and access to capital for the sector. “We project the SNF margins in 2024 to remain high even with the downward […]
Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes for 2024, along with updates to nursing home surveys were top of mind among representatives of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday, as the agency outlined its plans for next year in an Open Door Forum. CMS plans to release the MDS 1.19.1 in early 2024 with […]
A federally commissioned report released Wednesday found that nursing homes in Louisiana failed to complete background checks on a portion of their non-licensed employees. In conducting the audit to examine whether Louisiana nursing homes complied with federal requirements for backgrounds checks, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) chose a sample of 9 Louisiana nursing homes […]
With dementia being one of the leading indications for nursing home placement, developing and perfecting models to predict level of care can be crucial when patients and families – and nursing homes – dive into future planning. Simple self-reporting or proxy responses by patients on models are good ways to estimate if and when a […]
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