LeadingAge submitted comments on June 1,2026, on the Fiscal Year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule.

In comments, LeadingAge supports updates to the SNF Quality Reporting Program including removal of two COVID-19 vaccination measures from the program, the revision of data submission timelines, and expansion of the data pool to include all SNF patients regardless of payer source. Acknowledging the potential for administrative burden added by this proposal, LeadingAge encouraged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to work with other payers to adopt a single assessment, such as the MDS, to be used for all billing and coverage determinations across payers.

LeadingAge also provided feedback to CMS on considerations for future development of a SNF-specific wage index and responded to a request for information on the patient-driven payment model. In response to this request, LeadingAge advocated against any future implementation of adjustment factors to address what CMS has coined “case-mix creep”, pointing out that what CMS is observing is more likely improved accuracy in assessment and coding of patient conditions and providers should not be paid less for providing care simply to establish budget neutrality.

Read LeadingAge’s comments here.