AHA comments on proposed rule for skilled nursing facilities

The AHA today submitted comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed rule for the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system for fiscal year 2018. In the letter, Ashley Thompson, AHA senior vice president of public policy analysis and development, urged CMS to delay reporting requirements for the standardized patient assessment data elements, and to conduct additional testing before implementing changes to one measure in the SNF quality reporting program. She also requested more insight into any empirical modeling used to inform the agency’s proposals for implementing the SNF Value-Based Purchasing program. AHA plans to submit separate comments on the agency’s advance notice of proposed reforms to the SNF prospective payment system for FY 2019. Comments on the advance notice are due Aug. 25.