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August 6, 2024
In this Issue:
- CMS Issues Final Rule Increasing Nursing Home Funding, Expanding Ability to Fine Nursing Homes
- New CMS Consumer Guide to Living in a Nursing Home and Updated Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home
- Join Us in Two Months for the Consumer Voice Conference
- Resource Highlight - Consumer Fact Sheet: Avoiding Drugs as Chemical Restraints
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CMS Issues Final Rule Increasing Nursing Home Funding, Expanding Ability to Fine Nursing Homes
On July 31st, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule updating Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) for fiscal year 2025. Under the new rule, nursing homes will receive an increase of 4.2%, or $1.4 billion in cumulative funding, in Medicare Part A payments. The rule also increased CMS's ability to fine nursing homes. CMS’ enforcement authority allows for the imposition of civil monetary penalties (CMPs) for noncompliance with federal requirements. In the rule, CMS expanded the type of CMPs that can be imposed to allow for more per instance and per day CMPs. The revision in the rule permits CMS to impose both types of penalties. Additionally, the rule finalized updates to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) to "better account for adverse social conditions that negatively impact individuals' health or health care." Additionally, CMS is finalizing a policy requiring SNFs included in the SNF QRP to participate in a process to validate data submitted.
For more information, read the fact sheet from CMS.
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New CMS Consumer Guide to Living in a Nursing Home and Updated Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a new consumer guide to living in a nursing home and updated their consumer guide to choosing a nursing home. These guides will allow residents to easily interpret the information posted on Care Compare for choosing a nursing home and increase awareness of residents’ rights once admitted to a nursing home. These guides will also better support consumers when making health care decisions.
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Join Us in Two Months for the Consumer Voice Conference
 Join us in two months - September 23-26 - in San Francisco for the 2024 Consumer Voice Conference. We have a jam-packed program featuring expert speakers sharing knowledge on the most pressing long-term care topics. Connect with advocates from across the country to learn, network, and exchange ideas on long-term care issues, including current trends, best practices, and advocacy opportunities.
Check out session descriptions, including speaker information on the agenda.
Plus, learn about additional opportunities to deep-dive into specific topics and exchange ideas with fellow attendees during special Thursday programming including intensive sessions and roundtable discussions.
 Unable to join us in San Francisco? Don't miss a minute of the conference. This year we are providing more access to the event than ever before with the option to participate online as we livestream all session content on Tuesday and Wednesday of the conference. Plus, recordings will be available to all registrants for 90 days after the conference.
Learn more and register.
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Resource Highlight - Consumer Fact Sheet: Avoiding Drugs as Chemical Restraints
 Everyone who enters a nursing home has a right to individualized, person-centered care. Some nursing facilities, however, are giving residents antipsychotic drugs, not to treat a medical diagnosis, such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder, but rather to control the resident’s behavior or for the staff’s convenience. When used this way, as a chemical restraint, these drugs pose special risks for older people and increase the risk of death in persons with dementia. This consumer fact sheet provides signs of someone at risk for chemical restraints or has been chemically restrained, what good care looks like, and what you can do if you are concerned.
View the fact sheet on the topic.
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