E-News Updates

As a Mass Senior Care member benefit, facility members are encouraged to participate in our Committees that include Clinical & Regulatory, Finance & Reimbursement, and Human Resources. This is an opportunity for members to learn from one another and provide valuable feedback to Mass Senior Care policy staff.

Incite Strategic Partners is excited to announce a new partnership with Southern Bus & Mobility, a premier dealer of new and used commercial buses and vans, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, lifts, and mobility equipment.

The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026. For the past 25 years, NCAL has focused on advancing assisted living by supporting providers through policy efforts, quality improvement, advocacy, and related initiatives – ensuring they have the resources to deliver high quality resident care.

Nursing facilities are required to file a Final Calendar Year 2025 DCC-Q form by March 1, 2026. As noted previously, this calendar year 2025 DCC-Q final filing covers the reporting period January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, and will be used in the Rate Year 2027 rates effective October 1, 2026.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has released proposed revisions to long-term care facility standards and licensure regulations 105 CMR 150.000 and 105 CMR 153.000. Many of the proposed changes to these regulations are required under and consistent with the long-term care modernization law, Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024. 

Under Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024, the Executive Office of Aging & Independence (AGE) was required to revise and amend the assisted living regulations under 651 CMR 12.00, Certification Procedures and Standards for Assisting Living Residences. On January 30, 2026, AGE released the proposed revisions.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111, section 71C and 105 CMR 150.028 Dementia Special Care Units requires all nursing facilities that advertise to the public as a provider of specialized care to persons with dementia must file a disclosure statement with the Department of Public Health by March 1st each year.

REMINDER - The SNF Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the April 2026 refresh. Data contained within the Provider Preview Reports are based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 3, 2024 through Quarter 2, 2025.

Maine Health Care Association is hosting a RAC-CT training this March with the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN). The RAC-CT certification is the most widely-recognized and respected MDS 3.0 certification available in the long-term care profession, as well as the mark of nurses who understand more than a paper form – they understand resident assessment.

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