Articles and Blogs

On April 17, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) extended the due date to complete and submit the new Form CMS-855A SNF Disclosures Attachment for every Skilled Nursing Facility (“SNF”). In its Medicare Learning Network, 2025-04-17-MLNC, CMS formally announced that enrolled skilled nursing facilities should collect data on ownership, managerial and related party... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has given surveyors additional rules and updates to allow surveyors to assess and cite violations of the regulations on nursing homes with admission agreements that create prohibited third-party guarantee of resident payments. On November 18, 2024, the Quality, Safety & Oversight Group at CMS issued a memorandum entitled... READ MORE

In December 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) made many revisions to its “Guidance for SNF Attachment on Form CMS-855A” (“Guidance”). The Guidance is CMS’s subregulatory advice and FAQs to skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”) on the completion and submission of the new Form CMS-855A SNF Disclosures Attachment (“SNF Attachment”) for every... READ MORE

On March 7, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) posted a memo dated March 10, 2025, that gives nursing homes and surveyors more time to prepare for implementation of new rules and updates to allow surveyors to add extra attention and increase oversight in nursing homes. On November 18, 2024, the... READ MORE

On November 20, 2024, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued new Industry Segment-Specific Compliance Program Guidance For Nursing Facilities (“Nursing Facility ICPG”) for nursing home members of the health care compliance community. Motivating factors for issuing the Nursing Facility ICPG included long-standing issues such... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has given surveyors new rules and updates to allow surveyors to assess and cite violations of the regulations on resident discharge and transfer. On November 18, 2024, the Quality, Safety & Oversight Group at CMS issued a memorandum entitled “REVISED: Revised Long-Term Care (LTC) Surveyor Guidance: Significant... READ MORE

According to a statement released on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) website, effective February 14, 2025, implementation of the Hospice Special Focus Program for calendar year 2025 has ceased so that CMS may further evaluate the program. Hospice Special Focus Facility Program (“SFP”) The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 called for... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently finalized a rule (“Final Rule”) that expands its ability to impose a Provisional Period of Enhanced Oversight (“PPEO”) on providers, including post-acute providers, reactivating their Medicare enrollment. This regulation, authorized under Section 1866(j)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act (“Act”), is designed to strengthen Medicare program... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has given surveyors new rules and updates to allow surveyors to add extra attention and increase oversight in nursing homes regarding the role of the medical director and how mental disorders are diagnosed. On November 18, 2024, the Quality, Safety & Oversight Group at CMS issued... READ MORE

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