An operation with a Special Focus Facilities designation isn’t necessarily a non-starter for savvy providers, and the SFF label might misrepresent what’s actually happening on the ground, according to operators.
Pennsylvania Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey thrust the SFF (“poorest performers”) list into the spotlight in June.
The vast majority of SFF participants — around 90% since 2005 — eventually get the green light to operate under normal conditions again. Most participating facilities exit the program by passing two consecutive surveys at least six months apart, showing they were able to “overcome systemics issues,” a Medicare official said. Since 2005, 90% of selected facilities had been released, while 10% were terminated from Medicare.
Operators said they sometimes purchase SFF facilities in order to revamp them.
“We take challenging buildings,” Hillstone Chief Operating Officer Matt Dapore told the Columbus Dispatch. “That’s what we do because we can turn them around, and we can fix them.”
