The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should update their quality and safety regulations for long-term care facilities more frequently, a leading hospital group said this week.

In a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, AHA encouraged the agency to update its quality and safety regulations more frequently. Before the regulations were released in July, the last major update of LTC requirements was in 1991.

“Given that the science of medicine and the practice of safe care delivery evolve constantly, CMS should review qualities and safety regulations every few years,” wrote AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels. “By routinely updating standards, comprehensive overhauls ofregulations will be unnecessary.”

The AHA was one of many lobbyist groups weighing in on CMS’ new proposed regulations before the comment period ended Wednesday.

It also requested CMS use a staggered timeline for implementing the regulations, and that the Office of Budget and Management conduct a new economic analysis of the rule. Additionally, CMS’ estimate that implementing the rules will cost $700 million in the first year is “significantly short” of what implementation will actually cost, Nickels wrote.