News

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced (QSO-21-06-NH) on December 4 that the Five Star Quality Rating system will resume all updates with the January 2021 refresh. Due to the public health emergency (PHE) first issued in March 2020, the 3 domains of the rating system had previously been held constant at varying times throughout the past 9 months as a result of changes to health inspections and certain temporary regulatory waivers. During this time, CMS also unveiled the new Care Compare site, which officially replaced all legacy sites, including Nursing Home Compare, on December 1, 2020. Complete updates to the Five Star Quality Rating system will be available at the new Care Compare site on January 27, 2021.

On November 23^rd, HUD announced the continued availability of supplemental funds for HUD-assisted multifamily housing providers responding to COVID-19. In July, HUD announced the initial request period for COVID-19 Supplemental Payments. The new HUD notice establishes a second request window and updates the submission requirements.

In early September the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched Care Compare, a streamlined redesign of eight existing CMS healthcare compare tools. The goal of this work was to allow consumers to access Nursing Home Compare, Hospice Compare, Home Health Compare, etc. all in the same location.

Some Minnesota providers have experienced issues with timely and approved VA payments and there may be some options available. VA and its third-party administrators (TPA), Optum and TriWest, will reconsider payment to providers who had a claim denied for simple routing errors.

On November 6, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs. 

HUD staff will join the regular LeadingAge Housing Advisory Group call on Monday, October 26, to share more updates about Service Coordinators, including payment and grant extension updates.

HUD has posted an updated version of the RAD PBRA Quick Reference Guide to reflect program changes and frequently asked questions.

Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) published an interim final rule that changes how prevailing wages are calculated, which has an immediate impact on foreign workers in the H1B, H1B1, and E-3 programs.

Effective October 1 of this year, a new federal rule requires the submission of all documentation to Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) through an electronic submission method.

Under CMS emergency preparedness regulations, nursing facilities are required to conduct two emergency preparedness testing exercises annually.

Based on the annual SNF Payment Rule which CMS released earlier this summer, new SNF Medicare rates for the second year of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) take effect on October 1. 

In a Notice issued Friday, HUD permits alternatives to group resident meetings required for the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD). For PHAs or owners undergoing a RAD conversion

National Adult Day Services Week will take place September 20-26 and is an opportunity to recognize this important service that supports both participants and their family caregivers.

CMS recently published a COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet detailing the SNF QRP public reporting strategy developed by CMS to account for quality data submissions

As we shared in last week’s newsletter, CMS has changed the COVID-19 Focused Survey for Nursing Homes tool to include the new testing requirements

Please join us for the next monthly HUD Member Regional Conference Call, scheduled for August 20 from 12-1 p.m. CST.

Join providers across the Nation to call on Congress to provide immediate relief to aging services providers.

We are severely disappointed that Congress did not reach an agreement on the next COVID-19 relief package.

On August 3, HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) released a fully updated set of NSPIRE Inspection Standards for the physical inspection demonstration program.

The U.S. Housing & Urban Development Department (HUD) updated its Q&A for Multifamily Housing programs. The July 31 Q&A document relays HUD’s guidance on operational and procedural questions related to the safe administration of HUD-assisted programs during COVID-19. In the Q&A, HUD provides clarity on mask requirements for residents, testing requirements for residents, and management and occupancy reviews. Included in the updates: 

As we previously reported, the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) Form CMS-R-131 and instructions have been approved for renewal.