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Archive November 2025

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ME CDC Issues HAN Shigellosis

Shigellosis, a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness characterized by sudden onset of fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea that is often bloody. It spreads primarily through the fecal–oral route—most commonly via contaminated hands, food, water, or surfaces—and even a very small number of organisms can cause infection, which makes outbreaks particularly easy to sustain in settings such as daycares, nursing homes, shelters, and group living environments. Symptoms typically appear within one to three days of exposure, and while many cases resolve on their own, severe illness can occur, especially in young children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. Increasing antibiotic resistance among Shigella strains has become a growing public health concern, making prevention through hand hygiene, safe food handling, and proper sanitation especially important.
Click Here to Read the HAN and the federal CDC's health notice. 
 
Staff Contact: mcarland@mehca.org
 

2026 Medicare Premiums and Deductibles

CMS released the 2026 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs, and the 2026 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts.

Skilled Nursing Facility
For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, the daily coinsurance for days 21 through 100 of extended care services in a benefit period will be $217.00 in 2026 ($209.50 in 2025). 
 
Medicare Part B
The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $283 in 2026, an increase of $26 from the annual deductible of $257 in 2025.
Read the full fact sheet for more information.
 
Staff contact: mcarland@mehca.org
 

DLC Holding Listening Session on Proposed Changes to 10-144 Chapter 100 Regulations Governing the Licensing and Functioning of Skilled Nursing Facilities and Nursing Facilities

Maine’s Division of Licensing will hold a listening session on December 16 at 10am to illicit feedback on proposed changes to 10-144 CMR Chapter 100 Regulations Governing the Licensing and Functioning of Skilled Nursing Facilities and Nursing Facilities.  
 
To prepare for this, have ready your center’s feedback on: 
  • Redundancies that exist between the federal and state regs. Consider where cuts can be made in order to ensure the language in the CMR is essential and not redundant.  
  • Language in the CMR that is not clear. Prepare examples of unclear or confusing language and suggestions for clarity improvements.  
  •  Outdated terms or language. If there are examples of terms that are no longer used, or outdated references, note these, so DLC has a list of comprehensive improvements in this area.  
 
NOTE: You must pre-register for the December 16 listening session. To do so, follow this link: 
 
 
Staff contact: Ablack@mehca.org 

Don’t Forget to Register for Bridging Communities Through Employment!

MHCA’s Bridging Communities Through Employment series brings FREE educational events to communities across Maine. These sessions explore fresh and inclusive approaches to workforce development in long term care, with a focus on welcoming new Mainers, linguistic minorities, and other underrepresented groups into the health care workforce.

Each event follows a consistent agenda with a core group of presenters, while also offering a regionally focused panel discussion that highlights local voices, challenges, and success stories. This blend of shared learning and local insight makes each stop in the series both meaningful and relevant to the community it serves.

Registration opens at 8:30 AM, and the program, along with a networking lunch, runs from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Event Dates, Locations, and Opening Session Speakers

• 12/8/25 - Presque Isle - Northeastland Hotel, 436 Main Street
Opening session speaker: Marwa Hassanien, Ph.D. - Associate Vice President, Community Engagement & Belonging -Northern Light Health

• 12/9/25 - Bangor - Hilton Garden Inn, 250 Haskell Road
Opening session speaker: Marwa Hassanien, Ph.D. - Associate Vice President - Community Engagement & Belonging -Northern Light Health

• 12/10/25 - Hallowell - Maple Hill Farm & Conference Center, 11 Inn Road
Opening session speaker: Dustin Ward - Equity and Reconciliation Advocate - It Is Time Respectfully
Space is filling quickly!

• 12/11/25 - Portland - Regency Hotel, Mariner's Chapel, 20 Milk Street
Opening session speaker: Dr. Abbie Yamamoto - Executive Director - Portland Adult Education (PAE)
Space is filling quickly!

Register here for any of the four events!

Staff Contact: ablack@mehca.org or mbooth@mehca.org

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Nationally, November is known as Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Recognizing the need for heightened awareness of this disease, President Ronald Reagan made this designation in 1983.
 
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there were less than two million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease at that time. That number has increased to nearly six million nationally. Healthcare Academy is honoring the committed memory care professionals who provide compassion and support to individuals living with Alzheimer’s.
 
Thank you to everyone serving compassionate care to individuals impacted by the disease. 
 
Staff contact: awesthoff@mehca.org

CMS to Focus on Quality in SNF after Ownership

The OIG has announced that in  recent years, regulators and policymakers have raised concerns about the relationship between changes in nursing home ownership and low-quality care, which can endanger resident health and safety. CMS requires nursing homes to submit updated information within 30 days of a change in ownership. In addition, CMS and State survey agencies can assess the effect of ownership changes on quality by conducting an onsite survey, making a State monitoring visit, and/or requesting additional documentation. This study will evaluate the extent to which CMS and State survey agencies take actions to identify and respond to declines in nursing home quality related to changes in ownership.   
Staff contact: mcarland@mehca.org
 

SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available

Because of the lapse in federal appropriations, scheduled data refreshes and other routine updates were temporarily paused. With the resumption of government operations on November 13, these updates are now being released.
The SNF Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the January 2026 release.
  • Data contained within the Provider Preview Reports are based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 2, 2024 through Quarter 1, 2025.
  • The COVID-19 Vaccine: Percent of Patients/Residents Who Are Up to Date measure and CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure reflect data from Quarter 1, 2025.
  • The Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel measure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reflect data from Quarter 4, 2024 through Quarter 1, 2025.
  • The claims-based measures are based on data from Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 3, 2024.
  • The SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) measure reflect data from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2024.
Providers have until December 17, 2025, to review their performance data. Only updates/corrections to the underlying assessment data before the final data submission deadline will be reflected in the publicly reported data on Medicare.gov and PDC. If a provider updates assessment data after the final data submission deadline, the updated data will only be reflected in the Facility-Level Quality Measure (QM) report and Patient-Level QM report. Updates submitted after the final data submission deadline will not be reflected in the Provider Preview Reports or on Medicare.gov. However, providers can request a CMS review of their data during the preview period if they believe the displayed quality measure scores within their Provider Preview Reports are inaccurate.
For those users experiencing issues locating their agency’s SNF Provider Preview Report, follow the steps outlined below:
  1. Log into iQIES using your Health Care Quality Information Systems (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile (HARP) user ID and password. (If you do not have a HARP account, you may register for a HARP ID.)
  2. From the Reports menu, select My Reports.
  3. From the My Reports page, locate the SNF Provider Preview Reports folder. Select the SNF Provider Preview Reports link to open the folder.
  4. Displayed for you is a list of reports available for download. The reports or files are listed in descending order and the newest files are displayed at the top of the list.
  5. Select the desired SNF Provider Preview Report name link and the report will display.
New Users
New users will automatically receive the latest Provider Preview Report in their SNF Provider Preview Report folder once their new iQIES user role is approved. Follow the steps above to locate your agency’s report in the SNF Provider Preview Report folder.
For questions related to accessing your facility’s Provider Preview Report, please contact the iQIES Service Center by email at iqies@cms.hhs.gov or call 1-800-339-9313. For questions about SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Public Reporting, please email SNFQRPPRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.
 
Staff Contact: mcarland@mehca.org
 

Understanding mRNA Vaccines

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has released two new resources to help long term care staff better understand mRNA vaccines and confidently address questions about them. These materials support the #GetVaccinated campaign for the 2025–2026 respiratory virus season.
 
How Do mRNA Vaccines Work
 
This resource explains—in simple, easy-to-understand terms—how mRNA vaccines help the body build immunity. It includes a clear analogy to make the science relatable, along with a helpful FAQ section that dispels many common misconceptions.
 
mRNA Vaccines and You
This guide outlines what mRNA vaccines are, their typical and rare side effects, and how vaccination protects both staff and residents from severe illness and hospitalization. A “Myths vs. Facts” section tackles misinformation directly to help individuals make informed decisions.
 
We encourage providers to download and share these materials with your teams as part of ongoing vaccination discussions and education efforts.
 
The #GetVaccinated campaign, supported by Moderna, equips long term care providers with trusted, easy-to-use tools to protect their communities year-round.
 
Visit GetVaccinated.us to explore these resources and strengthen your vaccination efforts today.
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Staff Contact: mcarland@mehca.org
 

Honoring the Workforce

Today, the Maine Health Care Association and the Maine Long Term Care Ombudsman Program honored 20 long term care workers with the Excellence in Long Term Care award. With more than 80 nominations this year, the panel of judges had the difficult task of narrowing down the field. 
 
The joyful celebration took place this morning with MHCA’s own Angela Westhoff MCing, and special guest Betsy Hopkins, Director of Maine’s Office of Aging and Disability Services serving as keynote. 
 
The prestigious award recognizes Maine’s most dedicated and inspired caregivers who tirelessly serve thousands of older and disabled individuals living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and those too receiving in-home care services. 
  
Caregiving is not for the weak as these 20 individuals can attest. But it is their strength and compassion, the comradery they forge with clients and staff, and their ability to respect and uphold the unique individuality of the clients they serve that makes these honorees so deserving of this award.  
 
Join us in congratulating the recipients of the2025 winners of the Excellence in Long Term Care and thanking our dedicated sponsors.  
 
 Winners:  
  • Wedad Ahmed from Community Home Health Care, LLC 
  • Tonya Brewster from Montello Commons 
  • Raeanne Burgess from Barron Center  
  • Josie Chase from Russell Park Rehabilitation and Living Center 
  • Richard Clift from MaineGeneral Rehabilitation and Nursing Care 
  • Angela Friend from Scarborough Terrace Assisted Living and Memory Care 
  • Joyce Gagnon from Brewer Center for Health and Rehabilitation  
  • Courtney Gold from Mid Coast Senior Health Center 
  • Michael Hawley from Maine Veterans’ Homes, South Paris 
  • Katrina Hedgpeth from Hawthorne House 
  • Kim Horton from Home, Hope and Healing 
  • Sandra Illingworth from Maine Veterans’ Home, Scarborough 
  • Lacey Kalloch from Maine Veterans’ Home, Machias 
  • Schooner Memory Care 
  • Dianna Leeman from Elder Care Network of Lincoln County 
  • Daniel Martel from RiverRidge Center 
  • Mariko Murray from Hibbard Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation 
  • Nicole Ramsey from Piper Shores 
  • Nancy Schvertt-Paige from The Meadows 
  • Sherry White from Market Square Health Care Center 
  
  
Sponsors: 
 
Event: Affinity 
Awards (partial sponsor): Maine Veteran’s Homes 
Program Book (partial sponsor): Genesis 
Breakfast (partial sponsor): First Atlantic and Preferred Therapy Solutions 
Flowers: Scarborough Terrace 
Premier Patron (annual sponsor): Sysco 
Platinum (annual sponsor): Cross Insurance; Medline; McKesson  
 
Staff contact: Ablack@mehca.org 

Government Ends Shutdown

The longest government shutdown in American history has ended.

Clif Porter, President/ CEO of AHCA/NCAL notes, “while we are aware of the challenges that some providers have experienced from a survey and regulatory standpoint, fortunately, our sector was less impacted than others thanks to our essential services and mandatory funding for Medicare and Medicaid.”

Here is a rundown of key provisions in the deal as well as what comes next with federal government operations resuming. 
 
What’s in the Bill 
Congress negotiated a deal that includes a continuing resolution (CR) extending current government funding through January 30, 2026.
The agreement also includes: 
• a Senate vote in December on a health care bill of Democrats’ choosing—presumably a vote on the enhanced Affordable Care Act’s subsidies that are slated to expire at the end of the year and were the primary issue causing the shutdown; 
• three separate spending bills to cover programs related to agriculture, military construction and legislative agencies for most of 2026; and 
• reversing the federal workforce reductions in force (RIF) actions taken since October 1, as well as protections against future RIFs for the duration of the CR (through January 30th). 
Of specific importance to the long term and post-acute care profession are: 
• Telehealth waivers: The waivers expired on September 30th when Congress was unable to reach a deal and the shutdown began. The compromise that passed this week reinstates the telehealth flexibilities retroactively from October 1 through January 30, 2026. Key waivers that were restored temporarily include: 
• Removal of the geographic limitations for medical telehealth services so they can again be furnished nationwide, including in a person's home such as an assisted living residence. 
• Restores physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology providers as eligible to furnish telehealth services. 
• Restores a delay in Medicare in-person requirement for mental health services furnished through telehealth or audio-only telecommunications technology. 
• Restores the use of telehealth to conduct face-to-face encounters for Hospice recertification purposes. 
• Work Geographic Index Floor: Temporarily and retroactively restores nationwide the 1.0 payment floor multiplier for the work component of Medicare Part B services paid under the physician fee schedule. This is effective October 1, 2025 through January 30, 2026. 
• Extension of funding for quality measure endorsement, input, and selection. 
• Sequestration: This legislation prevents the triggering of statutory 4% PAYGO sequestration cuts to Medicare. 
 
A Return to Normal 
Federal agencies, including HHS, will resume full operations. While essential functions, such as Medicare and Medicaid payments and some HUD programs, have continued, delays in processes are expected as agencies return to working order. 
With most government staff returning to their positions, agencies will begin processing the backlog of work created during the shutdown. This includes, but is not limited to, impacts on the following activities: 
• Survey activities including recognition of surveys conducted during the shutdown 
• Deferred survey components 
• Deficiency findings and enforcement actions 
• The resumption of normal corrective actions 
• Medicare certification for new facilities, including initial surveys 
• Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) special situations 
• Updates to the Five-Star Quality Rating System 
Please keep in mind that responses to inquiries to CMS staff may be delayed as staff return to their positions. 
Rule-making and other guidance development, which were delayed, will also now fully resume. We anticipate a lot of activity in the coming months, and we continue to engage with CMS on key policies. 
 
What Comes Next 
AHCA/NCAL will continue to monitor post-shutdown developments and once more information is available, will provide updates. 
AHCA/NCAL also look forward to advancing our Better Way agenda now with the federal government reopened. Specifically, we remain optimistic that we can make progress on bringing forth more rational regulations and improving Medicare Advantage for the sector.

Staff contact: awesthoff@mehca.org 
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