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In accordance with Governor Healey’s statewide Fire and Life Safety Initiative, ALRs must comply no later than August 15, 2025, with completing the Fire Safety Assessment Survey and submission of their Emergency Preparedness Plan. The requirement for Resident and Family Notification of Safety Protocols should have been completed by July 26, 2025.

The Transitions from Acute Care to Post-Acute Care (TACPAC) Task Force was established under Section 25 of Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024, the LTC Reform Law, to study and propose recommendations to address acute care hospital throughput challenges and the impact of persistent delays in discharging patients from acute to post-acute care settings. On July 31, The Task Force concluded its work with the submission of its report to the Legislature.

Dr. Kap Sum Foong at Tufts Medical Center is leading a research study focusing on understanding perspectives related to penicillin allergies in the long-term care setting. Several opportunities are available for nursing facilities to share their thoughts as part of the study.

Due to the Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) quarterly submission deadline on August 14, 2025, the iQIES Service Center is anticipating a significant increase in the volume of calls and emails.

On July 31, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) adopted the final rule to update Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) for fiscal year (FY) 2026.

CLA is offering a complimentary webinar on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 from 1pm to 2pm Central Time on the ways in which the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s tax and Medicaid policy changes will impact the health care industry.

On July 30, 2025, CMS issued revisions to QSO 25-23-ALL Guidance for the Expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). The revisions include the suspension of focused infection control surveys as part of the standard survey process.

Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal earlier this week joined nursing facility residents at Life Care Center of Wilbraham, a MSCA member facility, to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid.

• MassHealth Issues Bulletin 194 • Final TACPAC Report Submitted to Legislature • Suspension of Focused Infection Control Surveys • REMINDER: ALR Fire and Life Safety Review Initiative

• REMINDER: DCC-Q Final Filing is Due July 31, 2025 • Mass Senior Care Foundation Scholarship – Deadline is August 8, 2025 • Register for Upcoming TEAMS Webinar on September 23, 2025

Don't Miss Out! The Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2025 awards. Please note that the application and all required components must be submitted online at the same time and received by Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, August 8, 2025.

CMS is issuing notifications to facilities that were determined to be out of compliance with the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) requirements for CY 2024, which will affect their FY 2026 Annual Payment Update (APU).

As a reminder, effective January 1, 2025, all long-term care facilities must comply with 105 CMR 721.000 – Standards for Prescription Format and Security in Massachusetts.

This week, Veterans from several Mass Senior Care member facilities were honored with the unforgettable experience of flight in a restored WWII-era open-cockpit biplane, courtesy of the nonprofit organization Dream Flights, with support from Mass Senior Care and Alliance Health & Human Services.

• Voluntary Recall of Bicillin® L-A • Massachusetts Unemployment Rate Remains Unchanged at 4.8%

Governor Healey Announces Immediate Measures to Enhance Safety in Assisted Living Residences

• Boston Globe Editorial on One Big Beautiful Bill Act • EOHHS Nursing Facility User Fee Regulation Hearing • REMINDER: ePrescribing Requirements • Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting • CMS Announces Medicare Revalidation Deadline Extension

The 2026 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program application cycle is now open! Participating in the Quality Award Program offers organizations valuable external perspectives, actionable feedback, stronger team collaboration, increased resilience, and improved performance – all leading to better care and quality of life for residents.

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 October 2025 release.

AHCA has informed MSCA that it has received notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that the agency is extending the deadline for the mandatory SNF provider enrollment off-cycle revalidation from August 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. CMS will be issuing formal public notice in the coming days on this extension.

Mass Senior Care would like to extend an invitation to Veterans to join Alliance Health and other member communities to participate in Dream Flights. This incredible program honors Veterans by giving them the chance to fly in a restored World War II-era biplane.

The CMS security team has authorized an increase of the iQIES system timeout to 30 minutes. Previously, users would be automatically logged out of the system after 15 minutes of inactivity. This change is now in effect.

The Department of Public Health is holding a public hearing and comment period on proposed amendments to the Executive Office for Administration and Finance (A&F) regulation to increase the fee charged to licensed health care facilities for architectural plan review of facility construction documents for new construction and renovations to existing facilities from $8.25 to $10.50 per $1,000 of construction costs. The public hearing will be held on July 28, 2025 at 1pm.

Governor Maura Healey has appointed Dr. Kiame Mahaniah as Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).

Nursing facilities are reminded to remain diligent in their infection control practices to limit the spread of COVID-19 to residents and staff. At the expiration of the PHE, DPH released guidance on Organizational Policies and Procedures for Mitigating Respiratory Illness. Nursing facilities must continue to identify and monitor respiratory illness metrics to indicate when there are increased levels which may necessitate implementing these infection control measures. One possible metric is the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) Wastewater COVID-19 Tracking which measures the SARS-CoV2 levels.

On July 14, 2025, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) issued Administrative Bulletin 25-16 updating the fees effective July 1, 2025 for fiscal year 2026. This change implements the new state budget requirement that EOHHS increase the nursing facility provider tax to the maximum amount under federal law, which totals 6% of total annual nursing facility revenue.

• CMS to Extend Mandatory SNF Provider Enrollment Revalidation Deadline to January 1, 2026 • DPH Proposed Amendment to Health Care Facility Architectural Plan Review Fee • 2026 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Awards • SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available

EOHHS Issues Nursing Facility User Fee Administrative Bulletin: July 1, 2025 Fees

• Important Update: TPS, CHNV Parole, and Work Authorization Reverification • Proposed Regulations for Certified Medication Aides Open for Public Comment • Governor Healey Appoints Dr. Kiame Mahaniah as EOHHS Secretary • PFML Reminders and Updates for Employers

• Impact of One Big Beautiful Bill • Senior Whole Health to Implement a Prior Authorization Procedure for MassHealth NF Rate Add Ons • CMS Publishes Updates to PBJ Manual and FAQs

A federal judge has blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) attempt to shorten Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. On July 1, 2025, District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan ruled that DHS’s February 2025 order – which would have moved up the expiration date from February 3, 2026 to August 3, 2025 – violated the Administrative Procedure Act. As a result, the partial vacatur has been halted, and at this time, no appeal has been filed.

On July 4, 2025, Governor Healey signed into law the FY 2026 budget totaling $61 billion, which includes $102 million in new Medicaid nursing facility funding, and also includes a provision to increase the nursing facility provider tax to the maximum amount under existing federal law.

• REMINDER: August 1 Mandatory SNF Medicare Provider Enrollment Revalidation • EOHHS Opens DCC-Q Portal for Data Entry: Deadline July 31

In addition to the new $102 million in new Medicaid nursing facility funding contained in the FY2026 budget signed into law by Governor Healey, the new state budget requires the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to increase the nursing facility provider tax to the maximum amount under existing federal law, which totals 6% of total annual nursing facility revenue.

On July 14, 2025, the CMS will release the new iQIES Electronic Plan of Correction (ePOC) system functionality to participating Nursing Homes and State Agencies. Once ePOC functionality is enabled in iQIES, the current ePOC system will be disabled.

• EOHHS Issues Updated RY25 DCC-Q Final Filing Template to Correct for Formula Errors • Judge Blocks Early Termination of Haitian TPS; DHS Rescinds TPS for Honduras and Nicaragua • CMS Alert: Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Phishing Fax Requests

• EOHHS Issues RY25 DCC-Q FINAL Filing Instructions • Certified Medication Aide Regulations Go Before Public Health Council July 9 • DPH Issues Memorandum: Den Dialysis Guidance

• Governor Healey Signs Into Law FY 2026 Budget • EOHHS Adopts Emergency Regulation

• Trump Administration Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians • CRITICAL ACTION ALERT: Call Governor Healey to Urge Her to Support Quality Nursing Facility Care!

Member Update: Conference Committee Files FY2026 Budget Recommendation

Understanding the New Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) Tuesday, September 23, 2025 10:00 am – 11:00 am via Zoom Click Here to Register Seminar Description: CMS’ five-year Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) payment model starts on January 1, 2026 – just months away. TEAM is a mandatory, episode-based, alternative payment risk-based financial model, in which selected acute care hospitals will coordinate care for people with Traditional Medicare Fee For Service undergoing one of five surgical procedures included in the model

On June 26, 2025, the Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a clinical advisory in response to the rising number of invasive Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections and reported clusters in long-term care facilities across the Commonwealth.

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.

Earlier this year, OSHA issued a memorandum announcing an immediate suspension, or “stay,” of its COVID-19 recordkeeping and reporting requirements under 29 CFR 1910.502. This change, effective until further notice, relieves nursing homes, assisted living communities, hospitals, and other health care settings from maintaining a dedicated COVID-19 log or reporting COVID-19 fatalities and hospitalizations as previously required.

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) has filed an Emergency Adoption to 101 CMR 346.00: Rates for Certain Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders Programs for the purpose of improving access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), including methadone, for nursing facility residents with substance use disorders. It encourages Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) to deliver medications directly to nursing facilities where facility staff can administer them to residents, reducing the need for daily transportation.

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has announced the 2025 Silver – Achievement in Quality Award recipients. MSCA is proud to recognize four member facilities that have earned this achievement.

• EOHHS Provides OTP Rate Add-On for Delivery of Medications to NFs • Action Needed: MassHealth Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Provider Directory • Massachusetts DPH Announces New LGBTQIA+ Training Initiative

On July 14, 2025, the CMS will release the new iQIES Electronic Plan of Correction (ePOC) system functionality to participating Nursing Homes and State Agencies. Once ePOC functionality is enabled in iQIES, the current ePOC system will be disabled. Nursing Home providers that currently utilize ePOC will need to request the Provider ePOC Administrator role in iQIES after you sign up for HCQIS Access Roles & Profile (HARP) access.

Effective May 1, 2025, members eligible for Family Assistance who have a qualifying hospitalization and require nursing facility level of care may be eligible to receive the same level of benefits as MassHealth Standard or CommonHealth through the Family Assistance Long Term Services and Supports Pathway (FA LTSS Pathway).