Closing the Medicaid Gap Is Just the First Step, as Nursing Homes Fight for Predictable Reimbursement

Nursing homes and the state associations that represent them continue to put pressure on legislators to match Medicaid rates with rising costs, and change how often rebasing occurs to give operators a more even playing field. In a lot of cases, Medicaid increases helped lessen the gap between costs and stagnant rates. But, legislators still […]

How Medicaid Waivers Have Affected Nursing Home Utilization – And Why the Staffing Proposal May Further This Trend

One of the unintended consequences of the minimum staffing proposal may mean less utilization of nursing homes as residents are shifted to other means of care – a trend spurred by an expanded use of Medicaid waivers. Policymakers may opt for these as a safety net for access issues among seniors, especially in rural settings, […]

CMS Finds Deepening Backlog in Nursing Home Inspections – 4,500-Plus Facilities Are Overdue

As the nursing home industry continues to recover from the last several years of the pandemic, annual inspections have fallen by the wayside. According to federal data from mid-February, about 4,500 of the nation’s 15,000 nursing homes were overdue for an inspection. More than 1,500 of those facilities were last inspected before the public health […]

Arizona Bill Aims to Privatize the Survey Process for Nursing Homes 

As federal entities continue to call for significant changes to nursing home operators and oversight through surveys, Arizona appears to be the first state intent on outsourcing this crucial tool. The legislature in Arizona may let nursing homes and assisted living facilities be surveyed by a third party to conduct annual and complaint surveys – […]

‘No Good Options’: As COVID-19 Surges in the South and Sun Belt, Testing for Nursing Homes Lags Behind

Texas and Arizona have emerged as new potential COVID-19 hotspots in the latter half of June, but despite widespread knowledge of the danger to elderly residents, skilled nursing facilities in those states still face hurdles in securing testing and timely results. New COVID-19 cases in Texas have climbed significantly since mid-June, according to data from […]

Rise of Managed Medicaid Could Deepen Skilled Nursing Financial Woes

Increasing numbers of states have begun exploring managed Medicaid programs as a means of achieving savings as their populations age. But unless officials provide crucial oversight, skilled nursing facilities could find themselves under even worse financial pressures. It’s something that states and their legislators need to keep in mind as they weigh options for managing […]