Former CMS Chief Seema Verma Blasts Nursing Home Reform Proposals

The former head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week expressed disappointment in the Biden administration’s nursing home policy proposals, calling the measures “short-sighted” and “outdated policy prescriptions.” In an op-ed published Monday in Modern Healthcare, Seema Verma called on the White House to instead take a more results-oriented approach instead of […]

Brookdale, California AG Reach $3.25M Deal Over Alleged Nursing Home Data Reporting Fraud

Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) will pay $3.25 million to settle allegations that it submitted false nursing home staffing data to the federal government and improperly handled resident discharges, the California Attorney General’s Office announced late last week. The settlement agreement comes one year after then-California attorney general Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit against Tenn.-based […]

Nursing Home Staffing Shortage is a ‘Crisis on Top of a Crisis’

Skilled nursing workers are in the midst of a mass exodus from the profession, and not even unprecedented wage increases can compensate for the concerns of the 238,000 caregivers who have left the industry since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of workload, environment, culture and the physical and emotional strain exacerbated an […]

Industry Leaders Request Meeting with Biden Administration on Nursing Home Reform

The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has asked for meetings with members of the Biden administration one week after the White House unveiled its sweeping nursing home reform proposal. The reforms, developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]

Senate Votes to End Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers

The U.S. Senate this week voted to overturn President Biden’s health care workforce vaccine mandate in a 49 to 44 vote along party lines. It was a vote that was considered largely symbolic through a measure called the Congressional Review Act, according to a New York Times report. Six Democratic senators missed the vote. The […]

‘Stop Blaming Nursing Homes’: Biden’s Proposed Reforms Garner Mixed Reactions

The Biden administration’s announcement of expansive nursing home reform on Monday elicited varied responses from industry trade groups and advocacy organizations. Groups representing skilled nursing providers expressed particular concern that the reforms would impose stricter expectations without providing the needed resources to meet new mandates related to staffing minimums and other proposed requirements. The reforms, […]

CMS Posts Nursing Home Resident, Staff Booster Data

As nursing homes work to get residents and staff up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccines, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Wednesday that it would post booster data on its Care Compare website. In addition to resident and staff booster rates at the facility level, the site will offer insight into state and […]

The Trends That Will Shape Skilled Nursing in 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to put pressure on an already strained skilled nursing industry in 2021. The next 12 months will be yet another test of resilience. Looking ahead to 2022, SNFs must stay nimble and inventive to not only survive but thrive. Private equity will continue to lead the nursing home transaction market pack, […]

[UPDATED] SCOTUS OKs CMS Mandate, Blocks OSHA Vaccine-or-Test Rule

Nursing home operators were not too surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Biden administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate to stand, but remain anxious about how the nationwide implementation of the rule may intensify an industry-wide staffing crisis. The high court sank a separate order involving the Occupational […]

CMS To Post Nursing Home Weekend Staffing, Staff Turnover Data

As staffing shortages continue to grip providers across the country, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it will put measures in place to establish better transparency on staffing levels at nursing homes moving forward. Numbers on staffing turnover and weekend staffing levels for nursing homes will start getting posted […]

CMS Clarifies Nursing Home Visitation Policy Amid Omicron Surge

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a clarification to its nursing home visitation guidance, just a few days after a some of the largest aging services organizations urged government officials to provide flexibility in limiting visitation due to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases. In a nursing home visitation frequently asked […]

Accura HealthCare Looks to Get Back to Basics in 2022

When the federal vaccine mandate for health care workers went into effect before the latest court injunctions stopped it in its path, there was a time when Accura HealthCare CEO Ted LeNeave was going to have to lay off 1,000 unvaccinated workers companywide. Balancing what was initially issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]

Pandemic May Have Been ‘Ultimate Stress Test’ for I-SNP Success in Nursing Homes

Nearly a decade after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established accountable care organizations (ACOs) in conjunction with the Affordable Care Act, the health care landscape has shifted even further toward a focus on outcomes and value. As recently as October CMS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI) […]

CMS Suspends Vaccine Mandate, Appeals Court Injunctions

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has suspended its vaccine mandate for health care staff, including those who work in nursing homes, so long as court injunctions remain in effect. CMS announced the mandate suspension in a memo on Thursday, adding that it has appealed both court decisions and has filed motions for […]

Federal Judge Freezes COVID Vaccine Mandate for All Health Care Workers

A federal judge in Louisiana issued a nationwide preliminary injunction Tuesday, freezing the start of President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers across the country. Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued the decision — which affects more than 10.3 million health care workers in […]

Florida Federal Judge Says CMS Vaccine Mandate Remains in Effect For Now

A Florida federal judge will not temporarily pause the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate while the case is being litigated. This is the first time the CMS requirement for health care workers, including nursing home staff, has been weighed in on by the courts. Florida officials asked a U.S. District Court […]

Short-Staffed Missouri Nursing Homes Given Two-Year Window to Close, Reopen Due to Vaccine Mandate

With the lowest vaccination rate among nursing home staff in the country, currently at 56.71%, Missouri’s health department is looking to provide operators some flexibility should they see a mass staff exodus ahead of President Biden’s vaccine mandate. The emergency rule, published on Friday, is meant as a precaution that will allow skilled nursing and […]