Nursing homes get a payment boost, but staffing standards loom

By the numbers: Skilled nursing facilities will receive an increase of $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2024 Medicare Part A payments, a 3.7% increase in payment.

• The net increase incorporates a 2.3% cut in payments from a two-year phase-in of clawbacks from overpayments CMS previously made to nursing homes.
• The Biden administration said Tuesday it will release new regulations on minimum nursing home staffing standards later this spring.

What they're saying: "We anticipate many nursing homes will be forced to further reduce their capacity and even close their doors if they are unable to meet these staffing mandates," a letter the American Health Care Association and American Hospital Association send to CMS administrators Monday says.

• CMS has also proposed a transparency rule that would require skilled nursing facilities to report more data about their ownership.