CMS Announces Quality Reporting, Value-Based Purchasing Rules for FY2016

​Fiscal year (FY) 2016 policy changes for skilled nursing facilities participating in Medicare will include clarification of future quality reporting requirements, value-based purchasing, and staffing data collection, according to a July 30, 2015, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) fact sheet. Beginning in fiscal year 2018, skilled nursing facilities will face a two percentage point reduction in their payment rate updates if they fail to report on three quality measures: skin integrity and changes in skin integrity; incidence of major falls; and functional status, cognitive function, and changes in function and cognitive function.