Articles and Blogs

On July 22, 2016, the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Survey & Certification Group released a memorandum that revised Chapter 7 of the State Operations Manual (“SOM”) and provided guidance on its policy to immediately impose federal remedies when a deficiency of a certain type is cited. The remedies are in addition to a... READ MORE

Subject to various exceptions, a covered skilled nursing facility (“SNF”) stay must initiate within 30 days of a qualifying hospital stay.  In some cases where it is medically predictable that an individual will require a covered level of SNF care within a determinable time frame, that same individual may also have a need for a covered... READ MORE

On February 12, CMS hosted an Open Door Forum on the upcoming changes to the Nursing Home Compare Five-Star rating system.  These changes will be effective on February 20th.  Nursing facilities will be able to privately view their revised ratings by mid-morning on Friday, February 13, via their MDS portal login. The updated scoring system may... READ MORE

On August 25, 2014, CMS issued a survey transmittal regarding the need for nursing homes to complete a discharge assessment when a resident transfers from a SNF and/or NF certified bed to a non-certified bed in the same facility.  CMS issued this transmittal to reinforce to facilities that discharge assessments are critical to ensure the... READ MORE

On May 16, 2014, CMS issued a Survey and Certification Transmittal (“Transmittal”) to the state survey agency directors providing infomation on how Medicare and Medicaid certifed long-term care facilities may obtain an extension of time for the installation of automatic sprinkler sytems.  The Transmittal sets forth the procedures on how a nursing home may seek an... READ MORE

President Obama introduced his fiscal year (“FY”) 2015 budget yesterday, and there are many proposed cuts to post-acute care providers.  Some of the highlights include a number of bundled payment initiatives, a $100 co-pay for home health patients not discharged from a hospital and re-admission penalties for skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”) with high hospital... READ MORE

The Indiana Court of Appeals (“Court”) ruled that a daughter who signed a skilled nursing facility admissions agreement as her mother’s “responsible party” was not liable for her mother’s unpaid skilled nursing facility bill because the daughter did not have authority over her mother’s finances or access to her mother’s finances. READ MORE

On June 1, 2014, Indiana will change the way Indiana residents obtain Medicaid coverage in the age, blind or disabled categories.  Currently, when Indiana residents apply for Medicaid coverage, they are subject to state-specific restrictive criteria.   After June 1, 2014, Indiana residents will automatically be enrolled in Medicaid if the Federal Social Security Administration... READ MORE

The Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior Act of 2013 (“Bill”) was introduced this week by Representative James Renacci (R-OH) to the House.  This Bill proposes to waive the three-day qualifying stay requirement for admission to a skilled nursing facility (“SNF”) under Medicare.   READ MORE

Recently, the North Dakota Supreme Court found a son liable for his parents’ $104,276 unpaid nursing home bill under North Dakota’s filial responsibility law. READ MORE