FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TODAY, September 30, 2019

Contact: Sara Couch, 518-376-9449
Mindy Berman, 518-229-0486

Looming CMI* Cut Threatens Care to Thousands of NYS Nursing Home Residents and Their Families

When: TODAY Monday, September 30, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Where: Glendale Nursing Home, 59 Hetcheltown Rd, Schenectady

Why: 1199SEIU in coordination with Healthcare Education Project (HEP) and NYS legislators, Santabarbara and Steck will be visiting Glendale Nursing Home on Monday, September 30 at 1 p.m. to explore how $350,000 dollars in expected CMI cuts could harm the facility, its staff, and most importantly, its residents.

Background: The NYS Department of Health (DOH) is moving to retroactively change the methodology used to calculate CMI adjustments. Currently the facility rates match the level of need of the residents they serve, however the adjustments mean DEEP CUTS to nursing homes across the state.

In pressing ahead with this cut, DOH is violating the letter and spirit of the enacted budget. The budget contained language inserted by both houses directing DOH to engage a workgroup in the process of considering changes to CMI “to promote greater accuracy” and “to target abuses.” The budget’s language also specifically charged the workgroup with reviewing case mix data and related analyses conducted by the Department as a part of the process of considering any changes to the CMI methodology.

Instead of engaging the work group as envisioned, DOH, at the first meeting of the work group stated it intended unilaterally to revise the methodology used to determine the case-mix adjustment for Jul 1, 2019, rates in an effort to achieve a reduction of at least 122.8 million in state spending ($245.6 million of total provider impact, inclusive of the federal funding) over the balance of the state’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.

At the conclusion of the workgroup process, they submitted a unanimous report expressing grave concerns that DOH’s unilateral plan would put financially fragile nursing homes at risk, endanger quality resident care and put crucial health care jobs at jeopardy. Following that final meeting, DOH filed a state plan amendment (SPA) with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking federal approval to implement its retroactive plan to cut nursing home rates dramatically.

What’s at stake?: Virtually every nursing home in New York and more than 100,000 nursing home residents are at risk in the face of these cuts.

• The cut will reduce nursing home payments by more than $9.00 per day on average.
• In an environment where nursing homes have seen no trend factor increase in more than ten years, while the costs of care delivery have risen steadily during the same period, this cut will put many facilities at risk of having to sell or close, while virtually all facilities will be under pressure to curtail programs and reduce staffing.
• Ultimately, access to care quality for those who rely on the long-term care system will suffer greatly.

NYS Legislators, with 1199SEIU and HEP are sending a message to the Governor, CMS, and DOH urging them to suspend efforts to implement the CMI cut, and to work with the long term care community to implement an alternative model, consistent with the recommendations of the CMI workgroup.

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SENATE DISTRICT 49

Number of nursing homes: 11

Total cut: $2,952,000

Glendale Home-Schdy Cnty Dept Social Services

NURSING HOME	CUT ($)
Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Inc.	647,000
Ellis Residential & Rehabilitation Center	144,000
Fulton Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare	282,000
Glendale Home-Schdy Cnty Dept Social Services	345,000
Kingsway Arms Nursing Center, Inc.	182,000
Nathan Littauer Hospital Nursing Home	197,000
Pathways Nursing and Rehabilitation Center	26,000
Saratoga Center for Rehab and Skilled Nursing Care	631,000
Schenectady Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing	184,000
Seton Health at Schuyler Ridge Residential Healthcare	165,000
Wells Nursing Home Inc.	149,000