July 22 Newsletter

 

 

 

 

July 22, 2026

 

Golf With Us on September 28 at the Country Club of Lansing!

All skill levels are welcome to golf in this casual, fun scramble! Help us reach our $15,000 fundraising goal to support the David Lebenbom Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Assisted Living Scholarship Fund — two initiatives to support the future of long-term care. Since 2011, HCAM has awarded over $155,000 in scholarships to 69 recipients; and since 2020, we’ve provided over $10,000 in scholarships annually. With your support, we can continue to grow this impact! Who Can Participate? Registration is open to HCAM member and non-member facilities and current HCAM associate partners. Get more details. 

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Deadline: NABP Policy Comments Due August 3

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is accepting comments on its proposed Nursing Facility Non-Available Bed Plan (NABP) policy through Monday, August 3. The proposed policy establishes the permanent NABP framework beginning October 1, 2026. It would allow non-contiguous NABP rooms, permit up to two 12-month extensions, establish new application and renewal requirements. It would also prohibit facilities from using NABPs to convert semi-private rooms into private rooms. HCAM encourages all members to review the proposed policy and submit comments to MDHHS before August 3. We will continue to advocate for private room conversion opportunities through NABPs. Email comments to Emily Frankman. Your feedback helps strengthen HCAM’s advocacy and demonstrate the need for greater flexibility in modernizing Michigan’s nursing facilities.

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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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HCAM Needs Your Input: MI Coordinated Health Payment & Billing Survey

HCAM continues to advocate with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan’s HIDE-SNP health plans and state policymakers to address ongoing payment and billing challenges affecting nursing facilities. To strengthen these efforts, we need data from providers across the state. We are asking members to complete a survey on HIDE-SNP claims payment timeliness, billing issues, denials, administrative burden and outstanding accounts receivable. Your responses will help us quantify the impact on providers, identify trends across health plans, and support our advocacy for timely payments, clearer billing guidance and policy improvements. Examples shared in the survey may be used anonymously in discussions with state officials and health plans.

Please complete the survey by Wednesday, July 29. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete, and every response will help strengthen HCAM’s advocacy on behalf of Michigan nursing facilities.

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CMS Issues CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

On July 14, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the proposed rule for the Calendar Year 2027 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements.  The most encouraging news is that the proposed rule fixes a policy error from last year to recalibrate SNF physician payments to be the same for both long-stay residents and short-stay patients. AHCA/NCAL has performed a preliminary review of the proposed rule for provisions that have a direct impact on AHCA/NCAL members and the residents they serve. That summary can be found here.

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Upcoming File Transfer Service Portal Maintenance

Due to scheduled maintenance, the File Transfer Service (FTS) will be unavailable on Sunday, July 26, 2026, from 7 AM to 1 PM EST. Please refrain from submitting electronic files during this time.  Billing agents or submitters with additional questions can email [email protected] if you require further assistance. 

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CMS to Rollout Risked-Based Surveys Nationwide in September (SNF)

On July 15, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS released a new memo, QSO-26-14-NH, on the Nursing Home Risk-Based Survey (RBS) National Implementation. This is an expansion of the RBS pilot program that CMS began in 2023. The program aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of nursing facility oversight to protect residents’ health and safety. CMS also notes that the RBS will allow the agency to focus less survey resources on facilities that continue to excel at providing quality care. CMS plans to implement the nationwide RBS on September 8, 2026.

How It Will Work
The program is designed to encourage facilities to improve the quality of care they provide to qualify for the RBS. Only high-performing facilities will be able to participate. About 12% of all nursing facilities nationwide will qualify for the new RBS survey process. Michigan currently has 17% of facilities (73) that are RBS qualified. At the end of each quarter, CMS plans to provide state agencies with a list of RBS-qualified facilities. The list of qualifying nursing facilities, each quarter, will be made publicly available on CMS’s Provider Data Catalog and the Nursing Home Care Compare website beginning September 30, 2026.

To identify the higher-performing facilities that qualify for the RBS, CMS will include an icon of a gold trophy on the facility’s Care Compare site to recognize such facilities.

Examples of reasons why a facility would not qualify for an RBS include:  
• Less than a 5-Star Overall Rating  
• Less than 3-star Staffing Rating  
• Any citation(s) for Actual Harm, or Immediate Jeopardy (IJ), or Substandard Quality of Care (SQC) in the last survey cycle (the last standard survey and any complaint investigations in the last year) 
• More than 18 months without a standard survey  
• Any staffing waivers in effect  
• Failed Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) staffing data audit  
• Failed resident assessment Minimum Data Set audit (MDS)  
• Health Inspection Score higher than the 50th percentile in the state (lower scores indicate better performance)  
• Two or more residents aged 65 or older who are coded with a diagnosis of schizophrenia after being admitted without this diagnosis  
• A change in ownership since the last standard survey 
• Special Focused Facility Candidate 

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CMS Updates Five-Star Technical User’s Guide for July 2026 Refresh (SNF)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted an update to the Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical User’s Guide, effective with the July 2026 refresh. CMS is implementing an increase to the Quality Measure (QM) rating thresholds, increasing each rating threshold by one-half of the average improvement in QM scores (as previously outlined in QSO 19-08-NH).  For the July 2026 refresh, the average improvement was determined from the period of January 2025 – April 2026. The new rating thresholds are shown in Table 5 of the manual (see below). Note the point thresholds for individual QMs did not change. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the thresholds used to assign QM star ratings have increased, the point thresholds for the individual Quality Measures have not changed. As a result, some facilities may need higher overall QM performance to maintain the same QM star rating. 

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Deadline: PBJ Data Due August 14 (SNF)

The deadline to submit Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) data for Quarter 3 (April 1–June 30, 2026) is August 14, 2026. If you have not already submitted your data, now is the time to complete your submission and avoid last-minute issues.  Whether your PBJ data is submitted by facility staff or a third-party vendor, the facility is ultimately responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the submission. Before submitting, complete a final internal review to ensure your data is accurate. 

At a minimum, verify that you have: 
♦ Reviewed all reported staffing hours, including Medical Director hours.  
♦ Deducted the required meal breaks.  
♦ Validated employee IDs and job codes. 
♦ Confirmed the correct reporting quarter was selected.  
♦ Reviewed validation reports for errors or warnings.  
♦ Ensured your submission was accepted and no files were rejected. 

Prepare Now for the Transition to iQIES: While the August 14, 2026, deadline is the immediate priority, providers should also begin preparing for the transition of PBJ reporting to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Beginning August 17, 2026, all PBJ submissions and reporting activities will be completed in iQIES, and Quarter 4 (July 1–September 30, 2026) data must be submitted through iQIES by November 14, 2026.  CMS recently released QSO-26-12-NH, which outlines what providers should expect during the transition. 

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Renew Your Homes for the Aged License

The state is strongly requesting that Homes for Aged license renewals be completed by July 31, 2026. The renewal site will shut down on August 1 in preparation for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs planned Michigan State Licensing System (MI-SLS) launch to replace the current eLicense platform. Any license not renewed by July 31, 2026, will have to wait for the release of the new state licensing database to complete license renewal in late August. During this time when the site is not available any license not renewed will expire with a status of lapsed on the department webpage without the ability to renew the license.  Therefore, getting the renewals done before July 31 is essential. 

Instructions to renew an HFA license are as follows:

  1. Go to https://www.thepayplace.com/MI/deleg/HFA
  2. Enter the License Number listed above and select the “Submit” button directly underneath.
  3. Review “Your Information” to ensure that license number, facility name, and fee amount is correct for the license renewal payment.
  4. Choose the Method of Payment by clicking either pay by electronic check or pay by credit card.
  5. Follow the prompts to provide electronic payment information for the license renewal fee. Note: the address requested is the address of the credit card being used and not the facility address.
  6. Print the receipt for the payment, this is the only opportunity to print a receipt for the payment.

Any questions about license renewal can be directed to the long-term-care state licensing team at (877) 458-2757 or [email protected].

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Medication Management in Assisted Living Grant Application

HCAM recently applied for a grant through the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (MHEF) on behalf of our assisted living membership. The goal of this grant is to create a curriculum to elevate medication safety by equipping our frontline workforce with specialized, proactive medication safety competencies. The training would add a specialized, mobile-accessible layer focused on proactive risk identification, error prevention, and adverse-event response for the medication technicians and care provider staff who manage complex medication regimens every day in assisted living settings. HCAM will continue to update as the grant application process moves along. Questions? Email Jenny Post. 

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Please Note these New Dates for CALD Part A

The originally scheduled July CALD Part A training will instead be held August 20-21. It’s not too late to sign up for this opportunity. As a Certified Assisted Living Director, you will join a prestigious group of professionals who have achieved a voluntary certification developed and maintained by HCAM. The high-caliber CALD certification program is NAB-approved for Assisted Living Director voluntary certification in Michigan.If you are currently a director or moving up the career ladder, by participating in CALD, you will not only gain certification but you will also come away with the assurance that you have elevated your knowledge and abilities by successfully completing the Core Licensure and the Residential Care/Assisted Living (RC/AL) line of service examinations. These national exams are developed by the highly respected National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Board (NAB).

Corporate leaders: You can be sure that staff sent through the CALD Training Program will be ready for success. Don’t miss this opportunity to certify your assisted living leadership.

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HCAM Welcomes New Members

We are pleased to welcome two new assisted living community members:
♦ Blissful Cottage in Petoskey
♦ Cardinal Senior Living with 5 locations in Michigan
We look forward to partnering with these communities to continue to promote excellence in senior care.

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Get Tips and Key Dates for Early and Absentee Voting in Michigan’s Primary

With Michigan’s primary election quickly approaching, HCAM’s Associate Partner, the Center for Vulnerable Voters, provided an article that may be beneficial for providers: Early In-Person and Absentee Voting for Residents.

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