KHCA/KCAL Update 12/15/25

December 15, 2025

This message contains confidential information and is intended only for KHCA/KCAL membership. Dissemination, distribution or copying the contents of this email beyond this group is strictly prohibited.

The Latest News

KHCA’s AIT Program: Celebrating Success and Leadership!

Over the past three years, KHCA’s Administrator-in-Training (AIT) Program has been an incredible success. We’ve had the privilege of working with so many talented individuals who have gone on to become licensed nursing home administrators.

Today, we want to take a moment to celebrate and congratulate, another AIT and their hard work and dedication, Brenton Maltsbarger. We’re proud to be a part of your journey! Congratulations on passing your exam!

If you are interested in signing up for KHCA’s AIT program you can find more information on our website or you can always reach out to Teresa Keating.

CMS Formalizes Indefinite Suspension of SNF Provider Enrollment Revalidation Deadline

As shared earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) informed AHCA that the mandatory off-cycle SNF provider enrollment revalidation deadline of January 1, 2026, has been suspended indefinitely. CMS posted a formal notice in the December 11, 2025, MLN Connects Newsletter, sharing that it “will provide additional information in future updates to this guidance.”

Key CMS links providing additional details:

AHCA has been relentlessly advocating to CMS about this issue, and we appreciate the agency granting our request for relief given the many difficulties providers have faced recently and throughout the process.

Learn more about what SNF providers should do next. READ MORE

Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar

With this celebratory season, always comes a spike in viruses and infections…everything from norovirus to COVID outbreaks (which is already occurring), influenza and the increase in the number of MDROs, either actual or potential requiring Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP). In one of the entries this week in the LTC National Infection Prevention Forum, there was a discussion of “terminal cleaning”. Uh oh! It’s different from day-to-day cleaning? Yep! Terminal cleaning—also known as discharge cleaning or deep cleaning—refers to the thorough disinfection and preparation of a resident's room after they have been removed from isolation procedures including EBP, discharged, transferred, or passed away. This process goes beyond routine daily cleaning to eliminate pathogens, reduce the risk of cross-contamination, and create a welcoming, safe environment for the next occupant. READ MORE

No NAC & Facility Standards Call this Friday!

There will not be a NAC & Facility Standards call this month. However, you can find the latest findings below. Please note that the data portion of the Reflections has not changed since November, as the period from October 1 through the current December is considered FY2026, and QCOR has not yet made FY2026 data available for retrieval. The findings do include some notable items, primarily related to complaints, as well as survey findings from surveys that were initiated prior to the shutdown but not delivered until November 17.

Latest Findings

Reflections without QCOR Data

TOMORROW! Webinar: Tips & Recommendations if You Get Sued

12/16/2025 - 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Click here for more details.

Upcoming iQIES Service Center Hold Times

Due to the Payroll Based Journal quarterly deadline, the iQIES Service Center is projecting an increase in the volume of calls and emails between January 2, 2026, and February 14, 2026.

Did you know:

There are a variety of methods to contact the CCSQ Service Center: READ MORE

Are you an ahcancalED website user? They need to hear from YOU!

As part of our ongoing efforts to provide the best website and services possible, AHCA would like your feedback via online survey.

This short survey only takes a few minutes, and your feedback is invaluable to helping improve their platform.

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Don’t Miss the 2026 National Quality Award Application Deadline

Next year marks a special milestone – the 30th anniversary of the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program! For three decades, this program has helped long term and post-acute care providers strengthen their systems, improve outcomes, and celebrate excellence in care.

If you are planning to apply for a 2026 National Quality Award, please remember that applications are due by January 22, 2026, at 7:00 PM CT. READ MORE

In Case You Missed It

855 Revalidation Deadline Suspension - Official Notice

We wanted to bring to your attention that CMS has issued official guidance related to the indefinite suspension of the off-cycle 855 revalidation deadline. That notification can be found here: SNF Attachment Public Subreg Guidance 120925

Contained in these revised instructions is the following: THE JANUARY 1, 2026, SNF APPLICATION SUBMISSION DUE DATE HAS BEEN INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED. FOR THE TIME BEING, THERE IS NO SUBMISSION DEADLINE. CMS WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN FUTURE UPDATES TO THIS GUIDANCE. READ MORE

A Message from KDHE: 2025-2026 Influenza Season: Influenza A Subtyping Guidance

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) issued a Kansas Health Alert Network (KS-HAN) advisory on January 17, 2025 to inform clinicians and laboratories of sporadic human infections with avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses amid high levels of seasonal influenza activity. At that time, KDHE recommended subtyping all influenza A specimens among hospitalized patients and increasing efforts at clinical laboratories to identify non-seasonal influenza. KDHE is updating this recommendation ahead of peak influenza season. READ MORE

Recommendations for Subtyping Influenza A Specimens From Hospitalized Patients

Medicaid pays 82 cents on the dollar. That hurts these nursing homes most

New research adds to growing concerns about how Medicaid underpayments can undermine nursing home care, demonstrating state payments’ influence on facility-level spending on staffing and operational needs. READ MORE

CMS Updates Medicare Part B Therapy Code List for 2026

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently updated the annual therapy code list that affects therapists (physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists), physicians, certain non-physician practitioners, and other providers billing Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for therapy services. READ MORE

More Than 1 In 4 US Adults Have Risk Factors For Severe RSV Amid Limited Vaccine Uptake, Study Suggests

The American Journal of Managed Care (12/11, Kaltwasser, 4K) reports a study found that "a significant percentage of adults in the United States have at least one risk factor for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), even as eligibility for the RSV vaccine – and vaccine uptake – remain limited." The research team observed that "28.0% of adults had at least one diagnosed risk factor for severe RSV." The study was published in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

What Do You Want to See from Provider Magazine?

Thank you for relying on Provider to deliver crucial information and insights about the long term care profession. To ensure we keep meeting your needs, the Provider team needs your input.

Help shape Provider in 2026 by taking this quick and easy survey before Dec 19. Responses are confidential (unless you choose to share your contact information).

Take the Provider survey now!

The AI and Clinical Practice

The AI & Clinical Practice education program is now available on ahcancalED. The AI and Clinical Practice education program was developed by the AHCA Clinical Practice Committee to help long term care providers understand the current use and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the clinical setting along with the risk and benefits to this advanced technology. READ MORE

Registration is free to KHCA/KCAL members.

Education Spotlight

Aging Services Day

Mark your calendar for Aging Services day, January 21, 2026.

Aging Services Day is a collaborative event put together by Kansas Health Care Association/Kansas Center for Assisted Living, LeadingAge Kansas and Kansas Adult Care Executives where Long Term Care Providers gather at the State Capitol to champion the needs of our elderly in Kansas. We will meet in the morning for education at The Beacon then go to the Capitol for a full afternoon of legislative advocacy on issues that are crucial to the LTC Profession with our Kansas Legislators. It’s a powerful opportunity to allow your voice to be heard and influence positive change for LTC providers and the population we care for. Be part of the movement for better aging services. READ MORE

This event is sponsored by: