CHA has submitted comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule to revise the requirements for long-term care facilities, including skilled-nursing facilities.
In the letter, CHA expresses overall support for the changes, which CMS proposes in order to reduce administrative burden and eliminate unnecessary or obsolete items. CHA also urges CMS to further clarify changes to provisions that require notification of discharges to the Department of Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
CHA supports CMS’ goal of limiting notifications about facility-initiated discharges, but believes that the current definition of “facility-initiated” could be refined and improved, and additional clarification is necessary to ensure that reports are made about residents discharged through a refusal to readmit after a hospitalization.