August 2026 - Hansen Hunter

Carol Maher to Share Quality Measure Strategies at AAPACN’s 2026 Quality Virtual Conference

Quality measures can be much more than a reporting requirement. When supported by accurate MDS coding and thoughtful analysis, quality measure data can help clinical leaders identify opportunities, focus improvement efforts, and develop more person-centered approaches to resident care.

Carol Maher, Hansen Hunter’s Director of Education, will explore these opportunities during the AAPACN 2026 Quality Virtual Conference, taking place virtually September 1 through September 3, 2026. The three-day event will bring together MDS and quality experts to help post-acute care professionals strengthen quality outcomes, improve survey readiness, reduce financial risk, and build sustainable quality improvement processes.

Work With Instead of Against Your Quality Measure Data

Carol Maher will present “Work With Instead of Against Your Quality Measure Data” on Tuesday, September 1, from 1:45 to 3:00 p.m. ET.

Her session will help long-term care professionals better understand how quality measure data can be used to identify meaningful clinical opportunities. Rather than viewing quality measures as an obstacle, participants will learn how accurate MDS coding and careful investigation can turn that data into a practical resource for improving resident care.
Carol Maher will discuss how facilities can determine which quality measures warrant the greatest attention, including measures with higher percentiles and those connected to findings from a previous survey. She will also explain how teams can identify residents who have triggered specific quality measures and use those findings to develop individualized clinical plans.

The session will highlight several quality measures that commonly raise survey concerns and offer interventions intended to support better outcomes.

Turning Quality Data Into Action

Collecting quality data is only the beginning. Long-term care organizations must also understand what the information indicates, recognize meaningful trends, investigate potential root causes, and determine how findings should inform clinical action.

Following the session, participants will be able to:
Identify the value of understanding a skilled nursing facility’s clinical opportunities for improvement
Discuss how to investigate those opportunities and support person-centered care planning
Explain how interdisciplinary teams can work together to improve care associated with a triggered quality measure

This practical focus reflects a broader theme of the conference: quality improvement depends on the connections between clinical excellence, documentation, regulatory compliance, reimbursement, leadership, and resident-centered care.

Practical Education for Long-Term Care Professionals

The AAPACN 2026 Quality Virtual Conference is designed for nurse assessment coordinators, directors of nursing services, nursing home administrators, clinicians, quality improvement coordinators, and others committed to advancing quality in long-term care. Its agenda includes quality measure management, survey preparedness, documentation, audit and denial prevention, managed care, PDPM, ICD-10 coding, QAPI, leadership, dementia care, staff safety, artificial intelligence in nursing practice, regulatory compliance, and the financial impact of quality performance.

Attendees will have access to all three days of educational sessions, digital conference materials, and live online access. Registration closes September 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Learn more and register for the AAPACN 2026 Quality Virtual Conference.

2026 CAHF/QCHF Summer Convention and Medi-Cal Panel

Hansen Hunter Leads Discussion on Key Medi-Cal Reimbursement Issues

At the 2026 CAHF/QCHF Summer Convention, Hansen Hunter’s Kevin Lawrence helped lead the panel discussion, “Audits: From Compliance Burden to Operational Advantage,” providing guidance on key Medi-Cal topics.

As Medi-Cal programs, reimbursement models, and reporting requirements continue to evolve, small differences in interpretation and reporting can have meaningful operational and financial implications for skilled nursing providers.

The session explored issues impacting California skilled nursing providers, including:

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Audit reporting requirements
Workforce Standards Program opportunities and considerations
Evolving cost report requirements

We were grateful to connect with long-term care and senior living leaders from across California and look forward to seeing you at the CAHF 2026 Annual Convention & Expo in Palm Springs, November 15–18, 2026!

2026 CAHF/QCHF Summer Convention and Medi-Cal Panel

If you have questions about Medi-Cal reimbursement, we’re here to help.

2026 FHCA Summer Convention

The FHCA 2026 Annual Conference was a blockbuster event!

DeDe Nichols, Bill Davis, Stevie Comeau, Lynette Davis, Tony Marshall, Holley Simoneau, and Kathy Urbanovic had an incredible time at Florida Health Care Association’s Annual Conference & Trade Show in Orlando. From the keynotes, educational sessions, and awards to the expo hall, our team was grateful to connect with long-term care and senior living leaders from across Florida.

Did we miss you at the event? If you’re interested in learning how we could help support your organization, let’s connect!

CMS Releases Final Rule for Fiscal Year 2027

SNF Prospective Payment System Final Rule Now Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the Fiscal Year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Final Rule.

The final rule includes updates to Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities, as well as finalized changes to the SNF Quality Reporting Program and SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program.

For FY 2027, CMS finalized a 2.4% update to SNF PPS rates. CMS notes that this update is based on a 3.3% final SNF market basket update, reduced by a 0.9% productivity adjustment. While CMS estimates an aggregate increase in SNF payments, individual facility impact may vary based on factors such as market basket changes, wage index adjustments, case mix, and other facility-specific considerations.

One of the most significant operational changes finalized in the rule is a new requirement for SNFs to submit Minimum Data Set data for all SNF residents receiving covered skilled care, regardless of payer. This means residents receiving skilled care under Medicare Advantage and other payer sources will be included in SNF Quality Reporting Program data. CMS states that this change is intended to support more accurate SNF quality of care information and align the SNF QRP with other post-acute care settings and CMS programs that collect data regardless of payer.

CMS also finalized several SNF QRP updates, including the removal of two COVID-19 vaccination measures beginning with the FY 2028 SNF QRP and a revised data submission timeframe beginning with the FY 2029 SNF QRP. The data submission timeframe will be shortened from 4.5 months to approximately 45 days, which CMS states will reduce the lag between data submission and public reporting.

In addition, CMS finalized updates to the SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program and addressed a Request for Information related to potential future updates to the Patient Driven Payment Model payment system and case-mix upcoding.

SNF operators should review the final rule carefully, with particular attention to the all-payer MDS submission requirement and the upcoming SNF QRP timeline changes.

The Hansen Hunter team is here to help if you have questions.