Committee hears that inspection backlog for nursing homes could be eased by $1.8M contractor request

Senator Reeves, sponsor of SB 2023, told the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee the bill extends the state's annual nursing-home bed assessment fee through June 30, 2027, and accompanies a health amendment that finances the program. The sponsor described the measure as the annual assessment used to support nursing-home oversight and related programs.

Katie Thomas of the Health Facilities Commission told the committee the agency is struggling to meet Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) survey time frames because surveyors are overworked and working extensive overtime. "My name is Katie Thomas. I'm with the Health Facilities Commission," Thomas said, and later told members, "We're we're requesting $1,800,000 one time fee in the budget, that would help, alleviate about 25 to 50% of this backlog, by hiring contractors." She said the commission has been pushing surveyors hard and needs contractor support to clear the backlog.

Members pressed whether facilities are penalized by CMS when surveys lapse and asked how long surveys take. Thomas said facilities are not penalized simply for not having been surveyed; the state is under a plan of correction with CMS and the agency is working to address the backlog. She added that surveys typically take from a couple of days to a week or two depending on case complexity and that the $1.8 million would be used to pay contractors who perform surveys.

The committee voted to recommend SB 2023 as amended for passage to the committee on the calendar. The chair and sponsor agreed to pursue follow-up information on exact numbers of unsurveyed facilities and a timeline for the contractor ramp-up.