News

On Jan. 7, CMS posted QSO-22-08-NH stating that it will publish additional nursing home staffing data to the public-facing Care Compare website beginning this month:

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently opened the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting portal for providers to begin entering data to submit their second period PRF reports. Second period reports cover PRF payments from July 1 – Dec. 31, 2020, including Phase 2 and Phase 3 general distributions and nursing home infection control distributions and incentive payments. The deadline to submit the second period report is March 31, 2022.

CMS announced on Dec. 28 that it will begin enforcing its Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination mandate for facilities located in all states where the rule is not currently blocked by a legal injunction, including Minnesota.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer has committed to a procedural vote on the Senate Build Back Better Act, which is still being drafted. On Dec. 20, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) acknowledged the deep discontent and frustration in a Dear Colleague letter by the decision to delay floor consideration of the Build Back Better Act because Senator Manchin could not agree with President Biden.

This week the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) began distributing the $17 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 funding to a broad range of health care providers, including care centers, assisted living, and adult day providers who experienced revenue loss and increased expenses associated with the pandemic.

The Build Back Better Act (BBB) currently being debated in the Senate requires nursing homes to have a registered nurse on staff 24 hours a day.

Aging services providers across the country are closely following the status of the federal staff vaccination mandates as legal challenges work their way through the courts. 

The Nov. 18 webinar, Understanding the CMS 5-Star Analysis Report to Guide Quality Improvement featuring Susan Chenail, RN, CCM, RAC-CT, Senior Quality Improvement Analyst from LeadingAge New York, is now available to view.

On Nov. 24, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) published a final rule increasing the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors to $15 beginning Jan. 30, 2022. This document finalizes regulations to implement an Executive Order signed by President Biden in April and moves the hourly minimum up from its current level of $10.95.

It's time for the LeadingAge quarterly affordable housing survey! LeadingAge, our national affiliate, is conducting its regular survey on affordable housing, and we encourage you to participate.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have released the 2022 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs.

Congress is currently working on the Build Back Better Act, the second part of President Biden's infrastructure improvement effort. The BBB is a $1.75 trillion proposal to enhance and improve "social" infrastructure, including services to older adults. It is currently being finalized in the House. Then it will head to the Senate and, once both houses agree, to the President. The current version of the bill includes the following investments in programs for older adults-

This week, LeadingAge sent all care center members updated Five Star Analysis reports reflecting data through the second quarter of this year for staffing and MDS measures and through the first quarter of this year for claims-based measures.

As members are acutely aware, Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations for nursing homes have increased significantly compared to prior years, and 2021 is proving to be no exception.

Argentum officially kicked off its latest awareness campaign directed at policymakers in the Biden Administration and Congress. The theme of this campaign is "Don’t Leave Assisted Living Behind, Again," underscoring the continued disparities in relief and support that has been made available to senior living and the need to rectify it moving forward, including with the Phase 4 PRF payments.

CMS has opened a pressure-relief valve for nursing facilities that rely upon the Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES) as an alternative means to demonstrate compliance with fire safety requirements of NFPA 101®: Life Safety Code® (LSC).  This issue affects only a small number of nursing facilities in Minnesota, but we want to make sure those who may be impacted have the latest information.

The LeadingAge Housing Advisory Group call on Monday, Oct. 18 at 11:30 a.m. will feature guest speaker Dr. Eric Berko. In honor of World Mental Health Day, Dr. Berko will review mental health challenges for staff and residents at affordable housing communities and discuss strategies for success.

OpeningDoors.org is live! In July, LeadingAge, our national affiliate, launched Opening Doors to Aging Services, a long-term initiative to offer members and the entire field research, strategies, and resources to inform and align efforts across the sector.

Earlier this week, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) opened the application portal for the latest Provider Relief Funds (PRF) round. In this round, $25.5 billion in funding is available for health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sept. 16, HUD announced the fourth round of COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSPs) for Multifamily housing providers. The funds are available to help Section 8, Section 202, and Section 811 properties prepare for and respond to COVID-19. Requests are due to the agency by Nov. 19 and can cover expenses incurred between April 1 and Oct. 31.