PACS (US)


April 5, 2026

SNFs, IRFs, IPFs: Proposed Increases in Range, But Future Risks Medicare Lurk for SNFs and IRFs [ENSG, PACS, SBRA, OHI, LTC, CTRE, EHC, SEM, UHS, ACHC]

By Beth Steindecker

FY27 Medicare reimbursement proposals for skilled nursing facilities [ENSG, PACS] and related REITs [SBRA, OHI, LTC, CTRE], inpatient rehab facilities (IRFs) [EHC, SEM, Kindred]and inpatient psych facilities (IPFs) [UHS, ACHC] were broadly in-line with our…

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March 24, 2026

Hospitals, IRFs, SNFs, Hospices, IPFs, LTCHs: Expectations for FY27 Medicare Rate Proposals

By Beth Steindecker

With CMS set to release in the coming weeks FY27 Medicare payment proposals for inpatient providers (inpatient hospitals, hospices, inpatient rehab facilities, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient psych facilities, and long-term care hospitals), we expect most…

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January 16, 2026

MedPAC Thoughts, Congress Unlikely to Listen

By Beth Steindecker

We expect the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) FY/CY27 provider payment recommendations to meet the same fate as in prior years: largely ignored by Congress, though selectively cited by CMS to justify future regulatory tightening…

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September 9, 2025

[Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Medicaid Providers] CMS Guidance on SDPs Fleshing Out OBBB; Possible Negative Bias?

By Beth Steindecker

Late Tuesday, CMS released a letter to state Medicaid offices with its preliminary interpretations of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act’s provision placing total payment limits on hospitals, nursing homes, and certain practitioners at…

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September 3, 2025

Nursing Homes & DOJ’s Shot Across the Bow [ENSG, PACS, WELL, OHI, SBRA, LTC]

By Beth Steindecker

Tuesday’s announcement by the DOJ to join a 2016 False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblower lawsuit against non-profit ProMedica Health System and its HCR ManorCare nursing homes may represent a new front in attacking long-term care…

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February 4, 2025

[ENSG, PACS, SBRA, OHI]: Potential Timing of the Nursing Home Staffing Rule’s Demise

By Beth Steindecker

With the briefing in a federal lawsuit having concluded and Congress on the hunt for legislative savings, the question is when, not if, CMS’s minimum nurse staffing rule is killed, eliminating the overhang and potential…

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November 14, 2024

(ENSG, PACS, OHI, CTRE, SBRA) Nursing Home Relief from Minimum Staffing Rule Still Likely But as Part of FY25 Spending Bill

By Beth Steindecker

Key Takeaways:  We still expect nursing homes and their post-acute care REIT landlords to secure a reprieve from the Biden CMS rule imposing minimum nurse staffing requirements on these long-term facilities. However, we see that…

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October 14, 2024

Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule – Full Reprieve Near Term Unlikely, Potential for Smaller Relief

By Beth Steindecker

Key Takeaways: Nursing homes and their post-acute care REIT landlords have legal and legislative reasons to be hopeful about efforts to kill CMS’ minimum staffing rule, but we are skeptical they will secure a full…

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