Money moves
Ohio Medicaid Announces 3.5% Rate Increase Plus Quality Add-On
Ohio's Medicaid agency approved a 3.5% base rate increase for SNFs effective January 2026, with an additional 1.2% quality incentive tied to staffing levels and rehospitalization rates.
Workforce
CMS Data Shows 28% of SNFs Still Below Minimum Staffing Threshold
New Payroll-Based Journal data reveals 28% of facilities fell short of the proposed 3.48 HPRD total nursing minimum in Q3 2025, down from 34% the prior quarter.
Compliance
CMS Issues Revised Surveyor Guidance on Infection Prevention Tags
Updated State Operations Manual guidance expands F880 infection prevention citations to include environmental cleaning protocols and adds a new pathway for citing antibiotic stewardship failures.
Technology
Telehealth Visits in SNFs Jump 35% Year-Over-Year
CMS claims data shows SNF telehealth encounters reached 1.4M in Q3 2025, up 35% from Q3 2024, driven by after-hours physician coverage and psych consults.
The bottom line
States are sweetening Medicaid rates with quality kickers, but a quarter of facilities still cannot hit the staffing floor CMS wants to enforce.