3-Day Stay Requirement and CMS Proposed Rule for SNF PPS FY 2018 Update

James Michel and Dana Halvorson

On April 27, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the proposed rule for the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) fiscal year (FY) 2018 update.  It proposes an increase in federal payments to skilled nursing facilities for 2018. Starting on October 1, 2017, skilled nursing providers will receive a 1.0 percent increase in payments.  It is the highest amount providers could receive under current law.

AHCA hosted a webinar discussing the proposed rule in greater detail.  With your ahcancalED log in, you are able to hear the recording of this update online.  Also included in the proposed rule is a section on Medicare innovation, and CMS specifically invites the SNF profession to bring ideas to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to be tested under the Innovation Center’s demonstration authority. In the proposal, CMS suggests the 3-day stay requirement as a possibility for a demonstration as well as payment ideas.

AHCA has also created a summary document with highlights and a preliminary overview of the payment updates, the SNF value-based purchasing program proposed new components, quality additions, and the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking. Registration for ahcancalED is for AHCA/NCAL members.  To access the webinar recording, use your achancalED account log in.  If you do not have an account yet, you can set one up by clicking Log In button and follow the prompts to create an account under the Sign In button.