‘Real Heartache’: Medicaid Redetermination Post-PHE Causing Nursing Homes Serious Cash Flow Problems, Anxiety

Flaws with the Medicaid redetermination process are leading to an increasing number of existing nursing home residents being found ineligible for Medicaid coverage — creating headaches for nursing homes. This view is held by officials at several state health care associations, who spoke to Skilled Nursing News. Montana, for one, has Medicaid redetermination information being […]

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 […]

Montana Joins Other States in Pushing Nursing Home Medicaid Rates as Federal Funding Dries Up

States are in the midst of considering changes to their Medicaid policies as federal funding gets phased out with the end of the public health emergency, and some states are hoping to rebase Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes to mitigate challenges facing the sector. Montana is one of those states. After a study commissioned […]

13 U.S. Senators Warn CMS: Staffing Mandate May Worsen SNF Access

As the federal staffing minimum mandate proposal and study is due to be revealed in a matter of months, some state leaders are calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rethink the mandate’s “one-size-fits-all” approach. Thirteen senators across nine rural states last week issued a letter addressed to CMS Administrator Chiquita […]

Another Facility Shuttered as Montana Nursing Home Closures Continue

A skilled nursing facility in Helena, Mont. is the latest to close in the state, citing insufficient Medicaid rates and residents choosing options other than nursing homes.  Rocky Mountain Care Center, which has been in business for 45 years, announced its last day would be Dec. 24, according to a Helena Independent Record report. A […]

Nursing Homes Fight Back Against Medicaid Cuts with Lawsuit

A group of Montana nursing homes and assisted living facilities sued the state Monday to stop cuts to Medicaid reimbursements, The Associated Press reported. As part of spending decreases throughout the state government intended to address a budget shortfall, Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) cut Medicaid provider reimbursement rates in January. In […]