August 5 Newsletter

 

 

 

 

August 5, 2026

 

Congratulations to HCAM’s 2026 Award of Excellence Winners!

HCAM’s Long-Term Care Awards of Excellence honor skilled nursing and assisted living professionals and residents for their exemplary contributions to the sector. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to our Awards Committee members!

$2,500 David Lebenbom Memorial Scholarship Winners
Established to honor HCAM’s long-time legal counsel, who helped pioneer the Michigan laws governing long-term care. His firm, Lebenbom and Rothman P.C., continues to serve as HCAM general counsel. 
• Ashley Muma, Gladwin Pines
• Corinn Manley, WellBridge of Fenton
• Deara Bell, WellBridge of Fenton
• Hailey Wojciechowski, Stratford Pines
• Jayme Riley, WellBridge of Fenton
• Jocelyn Bajema, Valley View Care Center
• Kayla Martinez, Bay Shores Senior Care
• Kaylee Metcalf, North Woods
• Lindsey Fabera , Bay Shores Senior Care
• Lauren Harrell, Huron Woods
• Shannan Butler, Grandvue – Charlevoix County MCF
• William Colvin, Four Seasons – An Optalis Health & Rehab Center

$2,500 Assisted Living Scholarship Winners
• Grace Anderson, Evergreen Senior Living
• Liliana Mota Cichy, Bickford of Okemos
• Tavara Winston, Cedarbook of Northville

Resident of the Year
• Skilled Nursing: David Brill, WellBridge of Grand Blanc
• Assisted Living: Richard Crank: Victorian Heights at Iron County MCF

Team of Excellence
• Skilled Nursing: Fisher Senior Care and Rehab
• Assisted Living:  Barton Woods Administrative Team

Gerry Baker Heroes of Health Care
Skilled Nursing:
• Akua Addo, Optalis Health & Rehab at St Frances
• Crystal Wightman, Fisher Senior Care & Rehab
• David Teunis, MediLodge of Leelanau
• Jacquel Giles, Rivergate Terrace
• Jamie Bridges, Rivergate Health Care Center
• Jamison Jones, WellBridge of Fenton
• Janie Sundblad, Lake Woods
• Kevin Evans, Martha T. Berry MCF
• Miranda Kelly, MediLodge of Sault Ste Marie
• Monalisa Chaaban, Regency at Bluffs Park
• In Memoriam: Christina Cox, Stonegate Health Campus

Assisted Living:
• Artie Romualdo, Waltonwood Twelve Oaks
• Bethany Rose, Vineyard Assisted Living
• Dustin Ronders, Lakeview Assisted Living
• Jenn Hayden, The Heartlands
• Jessica Scott, Vineyard Assisted Living
• Joan Halder, Vineyard Assisted Living
• Kelsey Treichel , Barton Woods Assisted Living

Please plan to join us during our Annual Convention for an Awards Luncheon on September 14 in Grand Rapids celebrating all these exceptional winners! 

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HCAM to Continue Candidate Engagement Following Primary Election

Michigan’s primary election was held yesterday, August 4, setting the general election matchups for Tuesday, November 3. HCAM has already met with several winning candidates and will continue engaging their campaigns through November to educate them about long-term care and the sector’s challenges.

Gubernatorial Race
Current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson won the Democratic primary, while current Congressman John James won the Republican primary. They will face off in the general election. HCAM met with both candidates this summer and will continue building relationships with them and their teams in the months ahead.

U.S. Senate Race
Abdul El Sayed won the Democratic primary and Mike Rogers won the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Gary Peters.

Attorney General Race
The Democratic and Republican nominees for Attorney General were selected at their parties’ primaries earlier this year. The Republican nominee is Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd, and the Democratic nominee is Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit. HCAM has met with Lloyd multiple times and is working to connect with Savit’s campaign as well.

Congressional and State Legislative Races
HCAM is monitoring races for Congress, the Michigan Senate and the Michigan House of Representatives. We have engaged with likely caucus leaders and will continue building relationships and educating candidates and policymakers on long-term care issues.

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Deadline: Nursing Facility QMI Resident Satisfaction Survey Data Due August 14

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued Numbered Letter L 26-33-NF QMI.pdf requiring facilities to submit acceptable resident satisfaction survey data and supporting documentation by August 14 to continue to receive 100% of their standard QMI payment. Facilities that do not submit acceptable information will have payments reduced to 85% of the standard amount. Providers may use their own survey methodology and questions, as long as the survey is specifically focused on resident satisfaction. Facilities must submit survey questions, response summaries, participation data, survey methodology details and an explanation of how results are used to improve resident care. Surveys must have been completed on or after June 27, 2025, and submissions are due electronically to MDHHS by August 14, 2026.

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CMS Finalizes FY 2027 Medicare SNF Payment Rule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (PPS) rule, which takes effect October 1, 2026. The rule includes an estimated 2.4% increase in aggregate Medicare Part A SNF payments, reflecting a 3.3% market basket update offset by a 0.9% productivity adjustment. Nationwide, CMS estimates the update will increase Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities by approximately $883 million.

The final rule also includes several important updates to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (QRP):
• Beginning FY 2028, CMS will remove the resident COVID-19 vaccination measure and the health care personnel COVID-19 vaccination measure from the SNF QRP.
• Beginning with the FY 2029 QRP, CMS finalized a revision to the timeframe for data submission from 4.5 months to approximately 45 days, allowing CMS to publish data more quickly. 
• Beginning with the FY 2030 QRP, facilities will be required to submit Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments for all residents receiving covered skilled care, regardless of payer source, expanding current reporting requirements.  

In addition, CMS finalized updates to the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program for future performance years.

CMS released a fact sheet on the final rule.

Our national affiliate, the American Health Care Association, expressed concern that the expanded all-payer MDS reporting requirements will increase the administrative burden and divert staff resources from resident care. HCAM will continue reviewing the final rule and will provide members with additional analysis on provisions that may have the greatest impact on Michigan providers. 

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Next MDHHS Nursing Facility Meeting is August 17

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) hosts a monthly meeting where a variety of Medicaid policy topics impacting nursing facilities are discussed. The next meeting is August 17 at 2 pm. If you would like to participate, please email K Kelly

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Five-Star Quality Rebasing Impact on Michigan Facilities (SNF)

On July 9, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published new Quality Domain star-rating thresholds for Five-Star. The thresholds are based on average improvement from January 2025 to April 2026; individual measure thresholds were not updated. This change reflects the March 2019 policy to rebase quality thresholds every six months by 50% of the average improvement rate. The last rebasing under this policy occurred in April 2022, although individual measure scoring has changed since then. The charts below show the impact of these changes on Michigan providers.

Impact of Updated Quality Rating Thresholds – July 2026

Previous and Current Average Star Rating

 

 

 

 

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CMS Releases PBJ Resources for the August 17 Transition to iQIES (SNF)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to prepare nursing facilities and vendors for the transition of Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) submissions and reporting from the current Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES) to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Beginning August 17, 2026, all PBJ submissions and reporting activities will transition to iQIES. 

To support providers through this transition, CMS’s QIES Technical Support Office released the following resources:  

The transition to iQIES will not change PBJ reporting requirements or quarterly submission deadlines. Facilities will need to ensure staff responsible for PBJ reporting have completed the necessary steps to obtain access to iQIES before the transition occurs.  

Reminder: Facilities should continue preparing their Quarter 3 2026 PBJ submissions. The submission deadline for data covering April 1 through June 30, 2026, is August 14, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Following this submission deadline, PBJ functionality will transition to iQIES, and future submissions will be completed through the new system.

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MDHHS Implements Changes to the PASARR Process (SNF)

To better align with federal regulations, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) Office changed the PASARR (Preadmission Screening and Resident Review) process for accepting out-of-state residents into Michigan nursing facilities.

For those admitting to Medicaid-certified nursing facilities, the PASARR process must be completed by the originating state prior to admission. This includes the originating state’s Level I, Level II (if applicable), and the determination for nursing facility level of care. In addition to obtaining the originating state’s documentation, the admitting facility must complete and submit a DCH-3877 for a Change In Condition (CIC) immediately upon the consumer’s admission to the Michigan nursing facility. The Pre-Admission documentation must be submitted to the CMH with this CIC referral. This change is effective immediately.

As a reminder, the Medicaid Provider Manual states: “Failure of a nursing facility to comply with OBRA PASARR requirements will result in the loss of Medicaid reimbursement to the facility for services provided for that resident for any period during which a correct and timely screening or review was not completed for that resident.”

MDHHS is drafting a formal letter to send nursing facilities and updating the Medicaid Provider Manual.

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CMS Notifies SNFs that are Out of Compliance with QRP Requirements (SNF)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is notifying skilled nursing facilities that were out of compliance with Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for calendar year 2025. This determination will affect their fiscal year 2027 Annual Payment Update. Non-compliance notices will be available today, August 5, 2026, in facilities’ “My Reports” folders in the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Medicare Administrative Contractors are also distributing notifications. Facilities that receive notice of non-compliance may request reconsideration by emailing CMS no later than 11:59 p.m. on September 4, 2026.

If you receive a notice of non-compliance and would like to request a reconsideration, see the instructions in your notice of non-compliance and on this site: SNF Quality Reporting Reconsideration and Exception & Extension.

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Are You Ready for National Assisted Living Week?

Kicking off Sunday, September 13, National Assisted Living Week​and continues through Saturday, September 19, with the theme, “Shining Through the Years.” Resources are available to help you plan, promote and celebrate this much-anticipated week.

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