Spotlights and Announcements

Updates

December 23, 2025  

Data Validation Process Announcement 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing notice  that the Skilled Nursing Facility- Value Based Purchasing Data Validation Process -  will begin MDS data validation January 1, 2026, with the notification process starting mid-January 2026. SNF providers will be randomly selected  for MDS data validation and selection notices will be uploaded to the MDS 3.0 Provider Preview Reports folders in the Internet Quality Improvement Evaluation System (iQIES) mid-January 2026. 

The SNF data validation process verifies the accuracy of Minimum Data Set (MDS)-based quality measures used in the SNF Value Based Purchasing  and Quality Reporting Program (QRP). The SNF data validation process has been established in response to Section 1888(h)(12) of the Social Security Act that requires the Secretary to apply a data validation process to SNF VBP and QRP measures. In the SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) fiscal year (FY) 2024 final rule (CMS1779-F) and FY 2025 final rule (CMS-1802-F),CMS specified that a data validation process for MDS-based measures would be implemented to ensure accurate quality data beginning with the FY 2027 program year/FY 2025 performance period. 

Providers should access their iQIES folders mid-month to check if they have received a selection notification for  MDS data validation. You may access the following link to review  additional information on the process:  Data Validation Process, a prepared YouTube training video https://youtu.be/B20RF412eug , and, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the Data Validation Process Webpage, and the Data Validation Help Desk contact information. See Validation Process. 

If you have questions about accessing the training video or feedback regarding the training, please email the PAC Training Mailbox. Content-related questions should be submitted to SNF Validation Help Desk at snfvalidation@hcmsllc.com

December 23, 2025

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Overview of the Data Validation Process for the SNF Assessment-Based Measures

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a recorded presentation which describes new data validation process. This training will support facilities in understanding the purpose and structure of the data validation process including the notification and submission process, required activities for selected SNFs, and where to find key resources.

To access the recorded presentation, select the following links: https://youtu.be/B20RF412eug

A copy of the slides and a transcript of this presentation can be found in the downloads section at the bottom of the Data Validation Process webpage: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/value-based-programs/value-based-purchasing-snf-vbp-program/data-validation-process

If you have questions about accessing training or feedback regarding the training, please email the PAC Training Mailbox. Content-related questions should be submitted to SNF Validation Help Desk at snfvalidation@hcmsllc.com.

December 1, 2025

The December 2025 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the FY 2027 SNF VBP Program are now available to download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). These reports contain facility-level measure results for eight quality measures during their FY 2027 SNF VBP Program baseline period:

• SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure (SNFRM)
• Skilled Nursing Facility Healthcare-Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization (SNF HAI)
• Total Nursing Staff Turnover (Nursing Staff Turnover)
• Total Nurse Staffing Hours per Resident Day (Total Nurse Staffing)
• Discharge to Community—Post-Acute Care Measure for SNFs (DTC PAC SNF)
• Percent of Residents Experiencing One or More Falls with Major Injury (Long-Stay) (Falls with Major Injury)
• Discharge Function Score for SNFs (Discharge Function Score)
• Number of Hospitalizations per 1,000 Long Stay Resident Days (Long Stay Hospitalizations)

SNFs may submit requests for corrections to their measure results up to 30 days following this report being made available, until December 31, 2026. Corrections are limited to errors made by CMS or its contractors when calculating a SNF’s measure results. SNFs must submit correction requests to SNFVBPquestions@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line “SNF VBP Review and Correction Inquiry” along with the SNF’s CMS Certification Number (CCN), SNF’s name, correction request, and reason for requesting the correction.

Note: The FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year is the first to assess performance on eight quality measures rather than four measures, as part of an expansion of the SNF VBP Program. For more information about the SNF VBP Program’s measures, see the SNF VBP Program Measures webpage. 

For assistance obtaining access to your SNF’s report, which can only be accessed via iQIES, contact the QIES/iQIES Service Center at iqies@cms.hhs.gov.

November 30, 2025

CMS identified a technical update for the Number of Hospitalizations per 1,000 Long Stay Resident Days (Long Stay Hospitalization) measure’s risk adjustment methodology which impacted the calculation of the performance standards, that is, the achievement threshold and benchmark, for the FY 2028 SNF VBP Program year. The technical measure specifications are described in more detail in the 2025 Nursing Home Compare Claims-Based Quality Measure Technical Specifications, available within the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User's Manual v17.0 .zip file package located on the CMS website.

To confirm the performance standards calculated using baseline period (FY 2024) data are as comparable as possible to the performance period measure results to be calculated using data from FY 2026, CMS updated the performance standards for the FY 2028 Program year. The table below displays the original performance standards published in the FY 2026 SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule on August 4, 2025, and the updated performance standards. The updated performance standards will be used in upcoming FY 2028 SNF VBP Program scoring and payment calculations. SNFs do not need to do anything at this time, and this process will not require any future action from providers. 

August 4, 2025

The FY 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) final rule is now available. This rule finalizes a series of administrative and scoring policy updates for FY 2026 and future years that are intended to implement the SNF VBP Program’s scoring methodology and promote alignment with other CMS quality programs, including removing the Health Equity Adjustment and adopting a new reconsideration request process that will allow SNFs to appeal CMS's decisions on review and correction requests.

August 1, 2025

The August 2025 Performance Score Reports for the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program are now available for download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). These reports contain performance information for the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program year, including the incentive payment multiplier (IPM). When payments are made for a SNF's Medicare fee-for-service Part A claims in FY 2026 (October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026), CMS multiplies the adjusted federal per diem rate by the SNF's incentive payment multiplier for the FY 2026 Program year.

For the FY 2026 Program year, performance in the SNF VBP Program is based on four measures:

• SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure (SNFRM)
• Skilled Nursing Facility Healthcare-Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization (SNF HAI)
• Total Nursing Staff Turnover (Nursing Staff Turnover)
• Total Nurse Staffing Hours per Resident Day (Total Nurse Staffing)

SNFs may submit requests for corrections to their performance score and ranking up to 30 days following this report being made available, until August 31, 2025. SNFs must submit correction requests to the SNF VBP Program Help Desk at SNFVBPquestions@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line “SNF VBP Review and Correction Inquiry” along with the SNF’s CMS Certification Number (CCN), SNF’s name, correction request, and reason for requesting the correction.

For assistance obtaining access to your SNF’s report, which can only be accessed via iQIES, contact the iQIES Service Center at iqies@cms.hhs.gov.

June 9, 2025

The June 2025 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program are now available for download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). These reports contain facility-level measure results for four quality measures during FY 2024, the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program performance period:

• SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure (SNFRM)
• Skilled Nursing Facility Healthcare-Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization (SNF HAI)
• Total Nursing Staff Turnover (Nursing Staff Turnover)
• Total Nurse Staffing Hours per Resident Day (Total Nurse Staffing)

SNFs may submit requests for corrections to their measure results up to 30 days following this report being made available, until July 9, 2025. Corrections are limited to errors made by CMS or its contractors when calculating a SNF’s measure results. SNFs must submit correction requests to SNFVBPquestions@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line “SNF VBP Review and Correction Inquiry” along with the SNF’s CMS Certification Number (CCN), SNF’s name, correction request, and reason for requesting the correction.

For assistance obtaining access to your SNF’s report, which can only be accessed via iQIES, contact the iQIES Service Center at iqies@cms.hhs.gov.

April 11, 2025

The FY 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) proposed rule is now available. The rule proposes a series of administrative and scoring policy updates for FY 2026 and future years that are intended to implement the SNF VBP Program’s scoring methodology and promote alignment with other CMS quality programs. A fact sheet discussing the major provisions of the proposed rule can be found on the CMS website.

March 28, 2025

The March 2025 Quarterly Interim Performance Period Reports for the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program year are now available to download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). These reports contain interim stay-level data for the SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure (SNFRM) for 10/1/2023 – 6/30/2024 (Quarter 1 – Quarter 3 of FY 2024, the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program performance period). The interim data contained in these reports are not final and are subject to change; thus, they are not eligible for the SNF VBP Program’s Review and Correction process.  

For assistance obtaining access to your SNF’s report, which can only be accessed via iQIES, please contact the iQIES Service Center by phone at (800) 339-9313 or by email at iqies@cms.hhs.gov.

For assistance obtaining access to your SNF’s report, which can only be accessed via iQIES, contact the QIES/iQIES Service Center at  iqies@cms.hhs.gov.