CMS toughens stance on worst-performing nursing homes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced it is increasing its scrutiny of chronically low-performing nursing homes by revising its Special Focus Facility Program.

The agency said it will toughen requirements for completion of the program, increase enforcement actions and lengthen the monitoring period for facilities that enter the program. Showing its commitment to staff improvement, CMS also called on states to consider a facility’s staffing level in determining which facilities enter the SFF Program.

CMS described the changes as a way to “increase accountability of bad actors in the nursing home industry.” There are currently 88 nursing homes in the SFF program, with approximately 400 more on the candidate list.