E-News Update Articles

On January 21, Governor Healey announced plans to invest at least $2.5 billion to modernize higher public education campuses over the next decade. The investments were announced as part of a bond bill – An Act to Build Resilient Infrastructure to Generate Higher Education Transformation (the BRIGHT Act).

Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll issued on Wednesday their FY2026 budget recommendation totaling $59.6 billion in non-surtax spending. This represents a 2.6% percent increase over the current year, in line with estimated inflation.

Nursing facilities are reminded to remain diligent in their infection control practices to limit the spread of COVID-19 to residents and staff especially as cases of increased respiratory illnesses are on the rise. At the expiration of the PHE, DPH released guidance on Organizational Policies and Procedures for Mitigating Respiratory Illness.

The Healey administration announced that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve an Unemployment Insurance Liability that was created during the Baker Administration.

On January 21, the Healy administration announced the closure of the 60-bed Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children located in Canton. The hospital offers medical, rehabilitative, educational, and recreational services for individuals with "severe" physical and cognitive disabilities and other conditions.

The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available for nursing facility providers to access through the iQIES.

Today, a federal judge in Seattle, WA temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of the parents’ immigration status.

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.

Member Update: Transitions from Acute Care to Post-Acute Care (TACPAC) Task Force; Continued Hospital Capacity Constraints; Update to Long-term Care Survey Guidance

Member Update: MassHealth Issues MassHealth Bulletin 190: Updates to Transition to CMS OBRA MDS 3.0 Assessments for Nursing Facility Fee-For-Service Payment

Re: Member Update: Governor Healey Issues H.1 FY2026 Budget Recommendation; Governor Healey Files $2.5 Billion Bill to Modernize Public Higher Education Campuses; Healey Administration and Department of Labor Reach Deal to Resolve Billion Unemployment Insurance Liability

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.

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.

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.

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.

Don't miss out on these important education programs!

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.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

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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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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).

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.

Register Now!

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.

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!

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

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.

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).