McKnight’s LTC News, March 19, 2026: Two new reports from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General rebuked skilled nursing facilities for overprescribing antipsychotic drugs, which can have a sedative effect and pose an increased risk of death for elderly patients with dementia.
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CMS RELEASES UPDATED EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROVIDER INFORMATION
AHCA/NCAL, March 10, 2026: The update reinforces a clear message: effective planning, coordination, and continuous readiness are central to protecting patients, staff, and communities before, during, and after emergencies.
CMS “REVIEWING” ITS POLICY ON ANTIPSYCHOTIC USE IN NURSING HOMES
McKnight’s LTC News, March 6, 2026: …the agency (CMS) is undertaking a review “with the goal of supporting clinically indicated use while continuing to discourage inappropriate prescribing.”
CMS CLARIFICATION INCREASES RISK OF NURSING HOMES FALLING BELOW 90% QRP THRESHOLD
Skilled Nursing News, Feb. 20, 2026: Data collected from these assessments, and the way they are counted, will impact future fiscal years, including 2028.
MORE HYBRID QM DATA COLLECTION LIKELY AHEAD FOR NURSING HOMES
Skilled Nursing News, Feb. 17, 2026: “We’re not through with these new hybrid claims measures. We’re going to start seeing these become more and more prevalent.”
AHCA’S PORTER PREPARING SKILLED NURSING PROVIDERS FOR TRANSITION TO “FEE-FOR-VALUE” ERA
McKnight’s LTC News, Feb. 10, 2026: “We’re going [away] from what we used to call value-based payment — you should think about Fee-for-Service payments separate from captive payments and all these other structures — and even Fee-for-Service has changed.”
STATES PUSH CMS FOR NEW STAFFING RULES TARGETING FOR-PROFIT NURSING HOMES
McKnight’s LTC News, Feb. 3, 2026: “We urge CMS to enact a replacement regulation that mandates tailored quantitative minimum staffing requirements, which would prevent Medicare and Medicaid fraud, protect vulnerable long-term care residents, and improve access to care,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) wrote Monday.
UP NEXT FOR NURSING HOME SURVEYS: MORE AFTER-HOURS INSPECTIONS, CONSISTENT TEAM STAFFING
McKnight’s LTC News, Feb. 1, 2026: Many of the updates tweak items to reflect information already shared with providers in previous memos, but experts said others have more substantial impact for both surveyors and nursing home teams.
AGENCY USE PLUMMETS, BUT SKILLED NURSING SECTOR STILL DOWN 26,500 KEY WORKERS POST-COVID
McKnight’s LTC News, Jan. 28, 2026: ” In 2026, our work continues to foster this pipeline of passionate, skilled professionals into our centers to provide the high-quality care our residents expect and deserve.”
CMS SHIFTING SPECIAL FOCUS SELECTION TO EMPHASIZE FALLS OVER STAFFING
McKnight’s LTC News, Jan. 28, 2026: CMS officials said they were asking states to begin considering falls — in addition to survey scores — partly in response to watchdog calls for better scrutiny of falls prevention and reporting.