Wait-and-see staffing rule exemptions meant to ‘safeguard’ residents: CMS
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 25, 2024
Skilled nursing providers will not have to go through a stand-alone application process to be exempted from provisions of a new federal staffing mandate, an official with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Layering of fines amid state, federal staffing rule conflicts tops providers’ worry list
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 02, 2024
Providers in states that have recently increased their own nursing home staffing requirements may soon find themselves playing a complicated penalties and numbers game — and buried in additional paperwork.
Sabra CEO: REIT poised to grow, with little skepticism about future defeat of staffing rule
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 10, 2024
While Sabra Health Care executives Thursday painted their first quarter performance as a sure-footed continuation of late 2023 successes, analysts raised pointed questions about the potential impact of...
Medicare audits ‘ramping up’ with isolation coding in the crosshairs
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 22, 2024
Auditors are paying special attention to isolation and quarantine coding amid already heightened Medicare nursing home audits that are expected to increase in coming months, experts warn.
Centralized recruiting, ‘red carpet culture’ are keys to make staffing stick: experts
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 17, 2024
Nursing homes that use tactics such as centralized recruiting, a consistent “red carpet culture” and creative benefits programs will have a leg up in today’s challenging long-term care staffing environment.
Providers: Staffing rule a CMS ‘fairy tale’ that will ‘exacerbate’ nursing home access issue
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 23, 2024
Despite minor concessions in a staffing mandate issued Monday, many nursing home providers were shell-shocked by what they saw as federal regulators’ intractable stance on minimums at a time when nearly...
Congress advisers back permanent telehealth expansions, look to nix in-person rule for behavioral telehealth...
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 12, 2024
Maintaining Medicare beneficiaries’ access to telehealth services, especially for behavioral health, must remain an initial priority over payment reform or quality measurement, members of a congressional...
Bake sale-supported nursing home now pursues ‘fairer’ memory care swaps for survival
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 05, 2024
A Rhode Island nursing home that had turned to a grassroots funding campaign that included a resident-run bake sale to avoid closure has announced a new plan to stabilize finances and remain open.
Eschewing a ‘sweet spot’ for boutique-like service at any size: Creative Solutions’ Gary Blake
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 09, 2024
Gary Blake’s nameplate might say CEO, but in some ways, he envisions himself more as chief quality officer of Creative Solutions for Healthcare, the sprawling 159-facility skilled nursing company he...
EXTRA: CMS publishes rule outlining final staffing requirements
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 22, 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it would exempt nursing homes from having registered nurse coverage for up to 8 out of 24 hours a day “under certain circumstances,” unveiling...
