A class-action lawsuit challenging the Medicare eligibility rules for skilled nursing coverage will finally get its day in court this week — shortly after the administrator in charge of the program publicly questioned the status quo. The trial over the lawsuit, first filed in 2011, began Monday in a Hartford federal courtroom, according to an […]
Category: Legislation
Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) made a major splash this week with the announcement of a planned $735 million skilled nursing acquisition, though executives also reported that a troubled tenant in Texas hasn’t generated any revenue for the real estate investment trust (REIT) yet this quarter. Daybreak Venture met its rent obligations under a deferral […]
Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) on Tuesday announced plans to pick up 58 skilled nursing facilities in a 60-building deal valued at $735 million. The Hunt Valley, Md.-based real estate investment trust (REIT) agreed to the deal on July 26, Omega reported this week, though it remains subject to approval by the Department of Housing […]
The state of Pennsylvania should adopt stronger policies for vetting nursing home operators in the wake of the Skyline Healthcare collapse, a report issued Tuesday from Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale recommended. “Nearly 90,000 Pennsylvanians live in more than 700 nursing homes throughout the state, and they represent just a fraction of our aging population,” […]
Background checks for staff and better reporting for nursing home abuse loomed large in a U.S. Senate Committee on Finance hearing held Tuesday, with consumer advocates and industry representatives confirming the findings of a new report that revealed oversight gaps by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) around nursing home abuse. The report, […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has overturned an Obama-era ban on the use of pre-dispute, binding arbitration agreements by skilled nursing facilities. But providers might still think twice about using these agreements, due to certain consumer protection provisions in CMS’ final rule. In fact, the protections for SNF residents and their families […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services overturned a ban on skilled nursing operators using pre-dispute arbitration agreements with their residents in a final rule issued July 16, and a range of lawmakers reacted throughout the week. The ban on arbitration agreements in long-term care was implemented by the Obama administration in 2016, to strong […]
Skilled nursing facilities could see relief from regulatory burdens if a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) takes effect, and according to the agency, it could lead to millions in savings. Specifically, the rule would overhaul multiple requirements and delay the implementation of regulations related to the Quality Assurance and […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week issued yet another new proposal aimed at overhauling federal oversight of nursing homes, and the agency’s chief reaffirmed her dedication to the issue. “The Trump administration is empowering residents and their caregivers with information about nursing home safety and quality, and we’re doubling down on […]
The release of a so-called “secret” list of nursing homes considered for inclusion in a program for the nation’s worst properties sent shockwaves through the industry early last month — but the man in charge of the for-profit space’s primary trade group says the sunshine is ultimately a good thing for operators. As the skilled […]
Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delayed action on a bill that would have given skilled nursing facilities in the state roughly $1 million in additional Medicaid funding over the next two-year state budget, which drew criticism from Republican legislators in the state. The news was first reported by the Sun Journal last week Republicans in the […]
Adam Boehler will leave his position as the chief of the federal government’s top incubator for new payment models after an appointment to another office. President Trump late Wednesday nominated Boehler — who has served as director of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) since April 2018 — to become the CEO of […]
In the wake of multiple skilled nursing facility closures in the state, legislators in South Dakota on Monday moved to relax rules that govern the process of redistributing licensed nursing home beds. The Jamestown Sun first reported the news. The Interim Rules Review Committee of the Legislature voted unanimously in favor of the changes, which […]
A bipartisan pair of U.S. representatives late last week submitted legislation that would potentially bring new quality measures to the federal Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program. HR 3406, introduced in the House of Representatives last Friday, would empower the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to roll out up to 10 additional metrics for inclusion […]
Medicaid-rate shortfalls and other struggles have claimed more than 30 nursing homes in Washington state since 2010, and at least one lawmaker thinks that the pruning is necessary. State Rep. Eileen Cody, who chairs the state’s House Health Care and Wellness Committee, said a drop in available nursing homes beds is “what we wanted as […]
The administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) placed nursing homes among her top areas of focus for the months to come, though she provided scant few other details during a wide-ranging press conference this week. “I’m spending a lot of time on nursing homes,” Seema Verma said in a Wednesday afternoon […]
The looming specter of a strike at nursing homes in Connecticut has prompted leaders in the state to support increases to daily Medicaid rates for institutional care. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont this week expressed support for three Medicaid rate boosts through 2021, a move that the CT Mirror — which first reported the news — […]
The old adage says that you can’t fight City Hall — and if you’re a nursing home trying to survive amid insufficient Medicaid funding, you have more than just local officials to fight. Medicaid exists in a bureaucratic grey zone between the federal and state governments, requiring a coordinated pitch to state lawmakers and federal […]
Florida’s new Medicaid prospective payment system for nursing homes, which took effect in October of last year, has created winners and losers among properties across the state, according to a new analysis by the USA Today Network — Florida. The PPS is designed to incentivize and reward skilled nursing facilities that make improvements in care […]
A new long-term care benefit for residents of Washington state could ease some of the crippling Medicaid burdens on nursing home operators in the state. Starting in 2025, qualifying Washingtonians will have access to a $36,500 lifetime long-term care benefit, funded by a new 0.58% income tax set to take effect in 2022. The program, […]