AHCA/NCAL hosted a webinar on Friday, January 20 to discuss the importance of – and to provide tips for –  contacting CMS to weigh in on proposals the agency is currently writing for SNF minimum staffing requirements. Presenters included AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson and Senior Director of Grassroots Program Matthew Smyth.

AHCA/NCAL noted that the pending minimum staffing requirement from CMS is expected in early May 2023. However, much if not all of the rule will be drafted and mostly finalized by sometime in March, and so AHCA/NCAL is asking members to submit a comment to CMS with concerns on the implications of a rigid minimum staffing requirement by the end of February. WHCA/WiCAL requests Wisconsin nursing home providers to submit a comment sharing their perspective on the proposed rule.

For a recording of the webinar, go to https://educate.ahcancal.org/products/contact-cms-minimum-staffing-requirements-for-skilled-nursing-facilities?force_login=1 and log in using your AHCA/NCAL username and password.

A copy of the slides is available here.

WHCA/WiCAL will be working with AHCA/NCAL to mobilize members to submit comments. As Gov. Parkinson emphasizes in the webinar presentation, providers are not expected to submit a long treatise, but should focus on telling their story and explaining how the minimum staffing rule would have negative consequences for your facility, even if that is done in a few paragraphs.

Providers can submit a comment today. Visit AHCA’s advocacy center, where you will find clear instructions for creating and submitting a public comment to CMS on the pending nursing home minimum staffing requirement.

Please reach out to Jim Stoa at jstoa@whcawical.org with any questions.