News & Resources

A new Final Rule, effective September 16, 2019, revises Medicare’s Requirements of Participation (ROPs) to permit and regulate the use of pre-dispute, binding arbitration agreements in nursing facility admission agreements. Nursing facilities using… Read More

Introduction  Attention hospitals, physician offices and nursing homes: there is a new regulatory requirement for drug disposal, requiring new standards, paperwork, and training for many facilities. The new rule published by the Environmental Protec… Read More

Introduction The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published a Proposed Rule (the “Proposed Rule”) with the stated intention to relieve the administrative burden placed on nursing facilities that participate in Medicare… Read More

Virginia’s Certificate of Public Need (COPN) law has long stated, as a guiding principle, the development and maintenance of health care services and access to those services by every person who needs them without respect to their ability to pay. I… Read More

Introduction                 Congress recently passed an omnibus bill (the SUPPORT Act) intended to combat this country’s growing national opioid epidemic. One of the measures included in this legislation was the Eliminating Kickback… Read More

Introduction             For over a year, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have prepared for the impending adoption of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) for fiscal year 2020 (beginning October 1, 2019). The adoption of the PDPM has… Read More

Over the past decade, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented numerous initiatives to expand oversight of the use of antipsychotic medications in nursing facilities (NFs). CMS takes credit for a 38.9% reduction in the use… Read More

Effective April 2019, CMS made changes in the Five Star Quality Rating System of the Nursing Home Compare website that affected all domains of the rating system. This advisory provides a brief description of these changes, how they will directly impa… Read More