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LeadingAge Iowa is a statewide membership organization of non-profit providers of aging services and supports and the champion for advancement and innovation in aging services. Our mission is to be the voice, support and connector for non-profit members and the people they serve. Our membership is diverse, representing the spectrum of non-profit long-term support and service providers including skilled nursing, assisted and independent living, PACE, home health, adult day, respite, hospice and home delivered meals. Our members serve over 25,000 older adults in Iowa each day.

CMS Posts Additional Data on Nursing Home Compare Website

CMS announced January 7, that weekend nurse staffing and a 12-month staff turnover rate will be added to the Nursing Home Compare website effective January 2022.

QSO-22-08-NH states that the information obtained from PBJ reporting will be posted to analyze differences between the levels of staffing provided on the weekends compared to that of weekdays as CMS expresses concerns on low weekend staffing levels. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) analyzed the data for staffing levels from day-to-day and expressed concerns that the consumers may not be aware of variations in daily staffing levels. The OIG recommended that CMS explore ways to provide consumers with additional information on nursing homes’ daily staffing levels and variability.

CMS Releases Vaccine Enforcement Guidance

On January 14, CMS released QSO-22-09-ALL providing guidance for the states impacted by the Supreme Court’s ruling on January 13 to move forward with the vaccine requirement (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming).

The overall enforcement guidance remains the same as issued previously for 25 states in QSO-22-07-ALL EXCEPT the compliance dates have been adjusted to 30, 60 and 90 days from January 14 for the states listed above (including Iowa), rather than from December 28 as for the other states.

Iowa providers should mark February 14 as the first date of compliance for the CMS vaccine requirement because 30 days falls on Sunday, February 13. A summary of QSO-22-09-ALL can be accessed here.