CMS nursing home oversight under federal probe

HHS’ Office of Inspector General is investigating the enforcement of staffing standards at skilled nursing facilities, according to a Kaiser Health News report.

1. The OIG’s investigation began earlier this month. It comes after a KHN and New York Times probe indicated some nursing homes are not meeting Medicare staffing requirements, according to the report.

2. The KHN and New York Times probe showed nearly 1,400 of the nation’s nursing homes — or 1 in 11 — have received lower Medicare star ratings for inadequate staffing levels. Nursing homes with lowered ratings did not have enough registered nurses or did not provide payroll data showing they met requirements for nursing coverage, according to a separate KHN report, which cites federal records.