McKnight’s Senior Living, Aug. 2, 2026: The analysis of 33,110 physical locations between 1985 and 2025 suggests that “nursing home closures often reflect broader organizational restructuring rather than true market exit…
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CMS KEEPS 2.4% RATE HIKE IN SNF PPS, BUT QRP A CONCERN
Park Place Live, July 29, 2026: In the rule, for FY 2027, CMS finalized updating SNF PPS rates by 2.4 percent based on the final SNF market basket of 3.3 percent, reduced by a 0.9 percent productivity adjustment, for an estimated increase of $882.74 million in aggregate payments to SNFs.
CMS JUST MOVED THE QUALITY MEASURE RATINGS BAR. HERE’S THE NEW PROVIDER PLAYBOOK.
McKnight’s LTC News, July 27, 2026: The agency recently announced it was upping its Quality Measure thresholds, requiring more points to achieve two through five stars compared to standards that have been in place since January 2025.
RFK, JR. – DR. OZ FRAUD SCRUTINY RAISES THE BAR FOR SNFs
Park Place Live, July 24, 2026: For skilled nursing facility providers, the announcement from HHS reinforces the need for greater vigilance in claims submission, documentation, and compliance oversight…
CMS WITHHOLDS OVER $1B IN MEDICAID PAYMENTS FROM CALIFORNIA, MINNESOTA
McKnight’s Home Care, July 21, 2026: “Every dollar the federal government allows to be lost to fraud, waste and abuse is a dollar stolen from American patients and from the American taxpayer,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during the press conference.
NEW PUBLIC CHARGE RULE COULD CREATE BARRIERS TO LTSS, WORKFORCE
McKnight’s Senior Living, July 20, 2026: The new rule rescinds a Biden-era regulation that DHS said restricted which public benefits the agency could consider in its determinations.
OVER 25% OF NURSING HOMES REPORTED A SERIOUS DEIFICIENCY IN 2026, WITH 5% LINKED TO IJs, ACTUAL HARM
Skilled Nursing News, July 17, 2026: That’s about 6,700 health deficiencies categorized as IJs or actual harm. Most involved isolated incidents rather than widespread problems…
SNF SECTOR DIGESTS PHYSICIAN PAYMENT RULE, GIVES INITIAL TAKES
Park Place, July 15: 2026: Issued late on July 14 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the SNF sector’s first reaction was to applaud the proposed rule’s fix of a policy error from last year to equalize SNF physician payments to be the same for both long-stay residents and short-stay patients.
CMS TO REWARD HIGHER-PERFORMING NURSING HOMES WITH “STREAMLINED” REVIEWS, FAVORABLE ONLINE ICON
McKnight’s LTC News, July 16, 2026: About 1 in 8 (12%) of nursing homes will qualify for the new risk-based survey initially, officials said. The first will take place Sept. 8, which is the same month the new icon will be initiated.