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Nursing homes will be required to disclose their owners and other affiliated businesses to federal authorities under a final rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published Wednesday. The regulation seeks to shed light on an often opaque industry. Many skilled nursing facilities have complex corporate structures that make it difficult for government agencies to hold owners, operators and other parties accountable for violations of laws governing such matters as safety and quality. (Bennett, 11/15)

For example, nursing homes must disclose individuals or entities that provide administrative services or clinical consulting services. They will also be required to disclose entities that exercise financial control over the facility, such as an organization the nursing home hires to manage its finances. Also, the rule requires additional information about entities that lease or sublease property to nursing homes, since the facilities and property owners may be set up as a different corporate entity. (Morse, 11/15)

The Biden administration's plan to establish national staffing minimums at nursing homes is shaping up to be a tricky political balancing act. President Biden has vowed to "crack down" on nursing homes, which were at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, but his staffing proposal has split members of his own party while facing broad opposition from Republicans. (Goldman, 11/16)

Massachusetts legislators are eyeing reforms to the long-term care industry, with a bill that would increase oversight and help ease access issues. Long-term care, which includes nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, is a critical component of the health care system, and staffing challenges have led to a shortage of beds for patients needing to be discharged from a hospital. Hospitals have subsequently faced a capacity crisis, as patients have stayed in hospital beds longer. (Bartlett, 11/15)

A Florida Senate panel this week backed a proposal that would allow veterans' spouses to qualify to live in state-run long-term care facilities for veterans. The measure (SB 174) also would allow parents of military members who died in service to be eligible. The Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee approved the bill in a unanimous vote. (Dailey, 11/15)

U.S. News evaluated more than 15,000 nursing homes throughout the country and rated most of them in two different areas: short-term rehabilitation and long-term care. (Adams and Wen, 11/14)

Papa Inc., a startup that sends contractors to the homes of the elderly to help them with household tasks and offer companionship, is facing a flurry of contract terminations by health insurers for next year, following a Bloomberg Businessweek report that revealed extensive allegations of abuse from its workers and the elderly who rely on it. Nearly three dozen insurance plans and employers have determined they will not renew partnerships for next year, according to a document reviewed by Bloomberg. (Anand, 11/15)

When Vernon Langford sees patients, he typically wears a white lab coat with his title — “Dr.” — and his credentials as a nurse practitioner stitched on the front. ... A Florida bill lawmakers considered this year would have barred Langford and others with similar credentials from using the “Dr.” title in clinical settings. The bill was amended to exclude nurse practitioners before it reached the desk of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who vetoed it without explanation. But Langford, who is president of the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners, expects the legislation to reemerge. (Claire Vollers, 11/15)