E-News Updates

National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) is a great time to celebrate all who live and work in nursing facilities. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has announced this year’s theme, " Moments in Bloom.” The national observance will take place from Sunday, May 10 to Saturday, May 16, 2025.

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 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. The Disclosure statement must be submitted using the Health Care Facility Reporting System (HCFRS) by scanning and then attaching into HCFRS. 

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.

AGE is currently collecting census reports for 2025 that are due by March 1, 2026. The annual reporting period covered by this report is January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.

On February 4, 2026, CMS posted an updated Survey Resource folder, which included updates to several Critical Element Pathways (CEPs). Of note, the Critical Element Pathway CMS-20081 Respiratory Care did have several updates including a clarification regarding “No Smoking” signs for oxygen use.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has filed an appeal of a federal district court order that temporarily blocked the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation. DHS also requested District Court Judge Ana Reyes reconsider her February 2, 2026 ruling which granted a stay on the termination of Haitian TPS which was set to take place on February 3, 2026.

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