What Can You Do if You Are Targeted as a Special Focused Facility?

It is challenging being a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) in 2024! Not that it has ever been easy, but there are so many regulations, and the increased challenges of staffing and infection control since COVID and the PHE have really raised the bar.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) monitors quality issues and has devised a terminology for those facilities deemed high risk with a history of serious quality issues. These facilities are listed either as a Special Focus Facility (SFF) or on the “candidate” list. See the CMS SFF March 2024 posting.

Once you have been put onto one of these lists there are added challenges inherent to the stigma of being on the list. My colleague Annette Sanders, MSN, RN, CLNC, ICP, QCP, RAC-CT, just wrote an article that was published on McKnight’s Long-Term Care that outlines some of the concerns with being on this list. Read “The Real Cost of SFF Inclusion” to learn more.

She’s been working with providers to improve star ratings and avoid being placed on the CMS SFF list. She and the team analyzed CMS data and estimated the expense of being placed on the SFF could exceed one million dollars! That number may seem unbelievable, but the data speaks for itself.

One of the greatest concerns with being on or removed from the list pertains to financial implications. LW Consulting, Inc. (LWCI) has a program to assist you with both of these concerns. If you are on the SFF list, a candidate, or simply aiming to enhance your Star Rating, visit the LWCI landing page on SFF. There is no better time to improve your operational efficiency than the present!

If you would like more information on this topic, please reach out to Annette Sanders at (717) 301-8074, [email protected] or Kay Hashagen at (410) 777-5999, [email protected].

LW Consulting, Inc. (LWCI) offers a comprehensive range of services that can assist your organization in maintaining compliance, identifying trends, providing education and training,  or conducting documentation and coding audits. For more information, contact LWCI to connect with one of our experts!