CMS proposes new minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities
Author
Blaire Bryant
Upcoming Events
Related News
Key Takeaways
On September 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would impose minimum staffing standards for the approximately 758 county-owned or operated long-term care facilities that participate in Medicare or Medicaid.
Key highlights of the proposed rule:
- Requires long-term care facilities to have an average daily nurse staffing level equivalent to at least 0.55 hours per resident, or one registered nurse for every 44 residents
- Requires 2.45 nurse aide hours per resident per day, or approximately one aide for every 10 residents
- Requires at least one registered nurse to be on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Does not include new funding for additional staff but sites recent workforce incentive initiatives under HHS
- Includes a “hardship exemption” which exempts the facility from punitive assessments for up to 1 year
CMS estimates that approximately 75 percent of long-term care facilities would be required to add staffing to comply with the new standards. The agency is soliciting public comments on the proposed rule through October 30.
NACo will submit comments on behalf of county-owned and operated facilities and will continue to monitor further developments on the rule.
Additional Resources
Related News
CMS releases new guidance on Medicaid provider tax provisions in OBBBA
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released new guidance outlining how it will implement significant Medicaid financing changes enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). These provisions restrict states’ ability to use health care-related taxes, commonly known as provider taxes, to help finance the non-federal share of Medicaid.
States submit Rural Health Transformation Program funding applications
On November 5, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that all 50 states submitted applications for the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program.
CMS announces new funding opportunity for the Innovation in Behavioral Health Model
On October 16, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Cohort II of the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model. This new round of funding builds on the initial IBH model announced in 2024 and continues CMS’s efforts to improve outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs) by advancing integration between behavioral and physical healthcare.