August 06, 2026
Web mode is working: return rates tell a compelling story

When CMS introduced web mode for the CAHPS Hospice Survey, the aim was simple: give caregivers an easier way to respond, and get more of them to reply. Initial indicators from SHP web-mail mode adopters tell us that this new program has had exactly that effect.

Hospice
By Greg Seiple August 06, 2026
Five Stars Is Still in Reach - and There’s a Practical Way to Get There

The July 2026 refresh raised the bar for a 5-star Quality Measure rating. But when you score facilities against the new thresholds, a large group sits just below the line — close enough to recoup a star the recut took, or claim one that's suddenly within range. A practical guide for SNF/LTC teams · Based on CMS quality-measure data and the July 2026 Five-Star Technical Users' Guide, scored against the current thresholds.

Skilled Nursing , In the Press ,
August 06, 2026
From Reactive to Predictive: Why Data Is the New Compliance Strategy in Skilled Nursing

For years, compliance in skilled nursing has run on a simple checklist logic: submit the data, confirm it went through, move on. Did we file PBJ on time? Check. Did we survive the Annual Health Inspection survey? Check. That mindset made sense when regulatory programs were fewer, simpler, and largely disconnected from one another. That environment no longer exists.

Skilled Nursing
August 06, 2026
CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule: What's Real, What's Just an Idea, and What It Means for Your Quality Programs

For home health agencies, the CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule (CMS-1844-P) is, first and foremost, a quality-program story. Yes, it sets next year's payment rates, and we'll cover that up front because you'll want the headline number. But the developments most likely to shape how you plan sit in the quality reporting sections: what CMS is confirming for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP) and the Expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model, and how the agency is signaling it may eventually connect the two.

Home Health , In the Press ,
By Greg Seiple July 20, 2026
CMS Tightens the Rules on Accrediting Organizations: What Skilled Nursing Facilities Should Know

On June 16, 2026, CMS published a final rule targeting the oversight of Accrediting Organizations — the national bodies that can certify certain healthcare providers as meeting Medicare requirements. While skilled nursing facilities are not directly regulated by this rule in its current form, the provisions it establishes are worth understanding. They signal where CMS is heading on accreditation, mock surveys, and the relationship between consulting services and regulatory oversight — all topics with real implications for long-term care.

Skilled Nursing , In the Press ,
By Chris Attaya June 03, 2026
Decoding the SSVI: What CMS's New Hospice Scorecard Reveals About Agency Performance

In the FY 2027 Hospice Proposed Rule (CMS-1851-P), CMS introduced the Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI) — a composite scoring tool that flags hospice agencies whose patterns of care and Medicare spending diverge meaningfully from peer norms. CMS released an accompanying agency-level dataset covering 6,642 hospices in FY2025 and 6,735 hospices in FY2024, offering the most granular view of variation across the hospice benefit that CMS has published to date.

Home Health , In the Press ,
May 27, 2026
CY 2026 HHVBP Insights

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our CY 2026 HHVBP Insights webinar on May 6th. For those who missed it — or want to revisit the discussion — the full recording is available below.

Home Health
By Chris Attaya April 20, 2026
HHVBP Scores are Changing Again

With the start of CY 2026, Home Health Agencies (HHAs) will again need to recalibrate how they look at their Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Total Performance Scores (TPS). Understanding these changes is important since your opportunity for HHVBP bonuses will depend on how your scores compare to HHAs in your cohort. As we will discuss, whenever CMS changes the outcome measure sets, measure weights and/or baseline data, your current TPS scores are likely to change.

Home Health , In the Press ,
April 14, 2026
What CMS Just Changed About How Your Facility Gets Surveyed

CMS revised Chapters 5 and 7 of the State Operations Manual (SOM) effective April 30, 2026. The changes affect how complaints are prioritized, how surveys are conducted, and what enforcement consequences follow — with direct implications for every SNF.

Skilled Nursing , In the Press ,
By Greg Seiple March 12, 2026
Are Your MDS Submissions Telling the Whole Story?

When it comes to quality measures, Five-Star ratings, and PDPM reimbursement, the accuracy of your MDS data isn't just important — it's everything. If the data going into your analytics doesn't match what CMS actually has on record, your reports, projections, and financial calculations are working from an incomplete picture. That's exactly the problem SHP's two new MDS Validation Reports are designed to solve.

Skilled Nursing , In the Press ,