News

LeadingAge recently pointed out technical barriers to skilled nursing facilities’ compliance with quality reporting required under the IMPACT Act and requested a meeting with the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to discuss solutions that would improve their ability to comply. 

Nearly half of all Americans are concerned that they will not have enough money to live on during retirement. President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order that could help expand access to workplace retirement plans for workers and extend their retirement savings. 

The U.S. Senate last week passed a combined spending bill that contains some good news in terms of Fiscal Year 2019 funding for home and community-based services. 

How are Trump Administration policies likely to affect the social safety net for older Americans? Twelve articles in a recently published special issue of the Journal of Aging and Social Policy offer a variety of responses to that question, including articles authored by Robyn Stone and Marc Cohen, co-directors of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. 

Leadingage President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan has responded to concerns raised by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, on whether seniors and their families have accurate and complete information about the quality of nursing homes. 

After a year of collecting stakeholder input, the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means has issued the Medicare Red Tape Relief report.  

The U.S.  Housing & Urban Development Department (HUD) has suspended use of the CNA e-Tool for PRAC budgeting purposes. Until further notice, PRAC projects needing to submit a rent increase should follow previous guidance in HUD Handbook 4350.1, Chapter 7: Processing Budgeted Rent Increases. 

The U.S.  Housing & Urban Development Department (HUD) has released three new Service Coordination resources and tools: 

In finalizing its proposal to implement the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) effective Oct. 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is sending a strong signal - it is time for change. In a new blog post, Brian Ellsworth, Vice President of Public Policy & Payment Transformation at Health Dimensions Group, shares what has changed, what is staying the same and what providers can do to prepare. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a Special Open Door Forum on Wednesday, Aug. 15 to educate opioid prescribers on federal resources and strategies to combat the opioid epidemic. 

New bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow qualified physician group practices to furnish telehealth services in skilled nursing facilities under the Medicare program. 

During her recent keynote address at the Adult Day Conference, Ruth Katz, Senior Vice President of Public Policy/Advocacy or LeadingAge, discussed the importance of strengthening the data story for Adult Day Services. Adult day members can now shape that story by participating in a national study. 

In a proposed rule released for public inspection this week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) aims to make changes to a 2016 final rule that requires the electronic reporting of work-related injury and illness data.  

To facilitate timely passage of 2019 spending bills and avoid a government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, the U.S. House and Senate are combining multiple individual spending bills into larger legislative packages. 

The U.S. Department of Labor has rescinded the 2016 Persuader Rule that required employers to report whenever they seek assistance from consultants or lawyers to dissuade employees from joining unions. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new tool as part of its four-part online training series on antibiotic stewardship. 

Funding for essential programs that help people age in place were recently approved by the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees. 

The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision issued a long-awaited opinion holding that the First Amendment prevents public sector unions from forcing government employees to pay union dues. While the decision applies only to public sector workers (and not private sector union employees), the decision will have an immediate impact in states like Minnesota where compulsory dues are required by law. 

A new, seven-minute QuickCast from LeadingAge is a fast way for members to get up to speed on HUD and Congressional proposals to change how rents of HUD-assisted residents, including older adult residents, would be calculated.  

As Congress broke for it July 4 recess, LeadingAge provided an update on where our legislative and regulatory issues stand on Capitol Hill and in the federal agencies.