In December 2022, Mass Senior Care shared with members the strategies to address healthcare capacity that providers in the Commonwealth’s health care system agreed to assist in building capacity and ensuring timely throughput. Yesterday, several of these strategies were modified and extended an additional 45 days until April 20, 2023. Blue Cross Blue Shield will continue to waive prior authorization for short stays in long-term care facilities and most insurers ,including MassHealth have agreed to 24-hr expedited turnaround time for prior authorization requests for short stays in long-term care facilities. Mass Senior Care encourages long-term care facilities to continue to accept new admissions needing skilled nursing services as soon as they are medically ready for discharge from the hospital.