Norris Cunningham

Many in long-term care view compliance programs with skepticism. The Affordable Care Act requires that organizations have written compliance programs, including ethical standards, policies and procedures...

Q: I’m concerned about the proposed CMS nursing home staffing mandate. Will hardship exemptions save operators who have difficulty meeting staffing needs? 

I have been hearing about a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plan to audit generators in nursing homes. What more can you tell me?

Why is everyone so concerned about the Supreme Court case allowing resident rights cases against state-operated facilities?

What is Washington’s payroll tax for long-term care going to mean for the state’s Medicaid program and are other states expected to follow?

Q: I‘ve read that increased staffing levels for registered nurses are positively associated with a higher quality of care in skilled nursing facilities. So why is there such resistance to requiring nursing...

There is little doubt that leaders at Life Care Centers of America breathed a huge sigh of relief, as did the entire skilled nursing industry, when a federal jury found that Life Care Center of Kirkland,...

I understand that state surveyors will begin focusing more on emergency preparedness. Why so much attention on this issue now?

Q: The use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes is already a publicly reported quality measure. Are we headed toward even more scrutiny? A: Yes, more scrutiny is coming. In February, the Department...

Q: CMS has a new policy of publishing citations against nursing homes during appeals. Why would they include non-final citations?