Member Resources

VIRTUAL HEARING on FRIDAY, JANUARY 24th at 10:00 AM

Don't miss out on these important education programs!

Several Massachusetts hospitals including Mass General Brigham, Cambridge Health Alliance and Baystate Health recently released new masking policies for staff, visitors, and patients to address a spike in cases of respiratory illnesses from flu, RSV, and COVID-19. As a reminder, nursing facilities should be monitoring community levels of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses and remain diligent in their infection control practices to mitigate the transmission of respiratory illness.

U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss has been recommended for appointment as one of seven new Democrats to the Energy and Commerce Committee for the 119th Congress.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and we are grateful for their support.

Governor Maura Healey has signed legislation renaming the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to the Executive Office of Aging & Independence to better represent and reflect the values of older adults in Massachusetts.

Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues and House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz have reached agreement on the consensus tax revenue forecast to be used for developing the upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget spending plan. The Administration and Legislature are forecasting a total of $41.2 billion in non-surtax revenue, representing a modest 2.2% growth over the current FY2025 revenue benchmark.

Member Update: Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting; Center for Medicare Advocacy Observation Status Appeals Webinar

Member Update: Hospitals Issue Mask Mandates with Increase in Respiratory Illness; Register Now for Upcoming Education Programs!

Member Update: Governor Healey Officially Renames Executive Office of Elder Affairs to “Executive Office of Aging & Independence”; Healey Administration and Legislature Announce FY26 Consensus Revenue Budget Estimate of 2.2% Growth; MassHealth Issues Note on December Weekly MDS Reports: ELG 402 and ELG 404; REMINDER: NHSN Reporting; Governor Signs into Law Health Care Market Review Bill

Register Now!

The updated Nursing Home Care Compare Technical Users’ Guide has been posted on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) Five Star Quality Rating System Page.

Earlier this week, Governor Healey filed a supplemental spending bill requesting an additional $425 million to fund the emergency assistance program over the final 6 months of fiscal year 2025.

We need YOU to make a difference! Join us in taking vital action in our grassroots effort for quality nursing facility care. We need your help to thank Governor Healey for championing the long term care reform law and to now urge her to include in the FY 2026 budget the $280 million necessary to implement the workforce and resident care provisions contained in the law.

On January 2, 2025, President Biden signed the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act into law.

On Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue reported to the Legislature that revenue figures for the month of December 2024 totaled $4.35 billion, $267 million or 6.5% above the benchmark for the month.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (BORN) has posted a website update reporting on the timing and steps necessary for the nurse licensure compact (NLC) to become operational in the Commonwealth.

Member Update: MA Board of Registration in Nursing announces 12 Month Timeline for Nurse Licensure Compact Implementation; First Half Fiscal Year 2025 Tax Collections: 1% Over Benchmark; Governor Healey Files $425 Million FY25 Supplemental Budget to Fund Emergency Shelter Costs; Register Now for Upcoming Education Programs

Member Update: Mandatory Medicare Provider Revalidation Process Update

Member Update: EOHHS Issues Proposed Temporary Nursing Services (TNS) Agency Rates, Effective March 2025

Register now for these January programs.

The Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) has issued a new Hospital Readmissions Report documenting annual trends in statewide all-payer readmissions and readmission rates, covering SFY2011 through SFY2023.

MassHealth issued Eligibility Operations Memo 25-01 which provides a listing of current MassHealth applications, renewals and member forms.

Massachusetts Senior Care Association extends our best wishes for a happy and healthy 2025!

Please call Governor Maura Healey today at (617) 725-4005 to thank her for signing the Long Term Care Reform Law - Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024 and to urge her to invest the $280 million necessary to implement the historic reforms in her FY 2026 budget recommendation, which will be released later this month.

REVISED: EOHHS Issues Amendment to Its Request for Applications (RFA) for Nursing Facility Specialized Behavioral Unit: HPPD Requirement Changed and Deadline is January 13, 2025

Legislature Reaches Agreement on 2 Major Health Care Bills in Final Days of Session; Reminder: Please call Governor Healey’s Office to Ensure Our Voices are Heard

Member Update: Governor Healey Reviews Administration’s Accomplishments in First Half of Her Term in Office and Discusses Plans for Upcoming Year; 2024 Annual Physician Disciplinary Summary Action Report; Register Now for Important Upcoming Webinars!

Member Update: Critical Action Alert – We Need All Facilities to Participate and Help Us Secure Funds Necessary to Support Nursing Facility Workforce and Resident Care; Hospital Capacity Constraints; REMINDER: COVID-19 Health Care Personnel Vaccination; MassHealth Nursing Facility Occupancy and Specialty Services Survey; POLST Stakeholder Meeting

Register Now!

AHCA/NCAL is offering a new webinar, Preparing for Upcoming CMS Guidance Changes: Key Updates and Action Items for Compliance, to provide important information about updated surveyor guidance recently released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently posted its latest update to its sub-regulatory guidance for the SNF Mandatory Off-Cycle SNF Provider Enrollment Revalidation process.

Nursing facilities are reminded to remain diligent in their infection control practices to limit the spread of COVID-19 to residents and staff especially during respiratory virus season.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and we are grateful for their support.

Please call Governor Maura Healey today at (617) 725-4005 to thank her for signing the Long Term Care Reform Law - Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024 and to urge her to invest the $280 million necessary to implement the historic reforms in her FY 2026 budget recommendation, which will be released next month.

Member Update: Nursing Home MDS Section S Updated Guidance Effective 10/1/2024; Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting – December 18, 2024; Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program: December 2024 Confidential Feedback Reports; Death Certificate Registration System Delayed Until Early 2025; Register Now for Important Upcoming Webinars!

Register Now for Upcoming Seminars/Webinars!

As Mass Senior Care previously reported, beginning on January 1, 2025, nursing homes will be required to electronically report information about COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

CMS has posted the updated Nursing Home Care Compare Technical Users’ Guide on the CMS Five Star Quality Rating System Page.

MassHealth has issued a new online form for MassHealth Education and Community Outreach Support: the MassHealth Education and Information Request Form.

This week, Governor Maura Healey, lawmakers and stakeholders attended a signing ceremony to celebrate the passage of the Massachusetts Economic Development Bill, H.5100, An Act relative to Strengthening Massachusetts’ Economic Leadership. The law authorizes the Governor to seek bonds totaling $4 billion to fund capital projects and programs throughout the Commonwealth. We are pleased to report that the law includes a provision authorizing $50 million to fund nursing facility capital improvements.

Governor Maura Healey recently signed the Long Term Care Reform Law - Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024. The law includes many critical resident care and workforce sections, including a requirement for MassHealth to update its Medicaid funding formula using more current costs for resident care and workforce wages.

Member Update: Revised Long-Term Care Surveyor Guidance – Appendix PP; Register Now for Important Upcoming Webinars!

Member Update: Governor Healey Signs Into Law the FY2024 Closeout Bill to Cover Prior Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Gap: Includes Provision Further Delaying Until 2027 the Patient Billing Transparency Law; DPH Launching Recovery and Monitoring Program for Healthcare Professionals; Register Now for Informative Webinar: Revolutionize Wound Care in Your Nursing Facility; Registration Open for AHCAs Free Building Trust Leadership Academy