{"id":8982,"date":"2016-11-07T21:47:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T21:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2016\/11\/07\/court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect\/"},"modified":"2016-11-07T21:47:00","modified_gmt":"2016-11-07T21:47:00","slug":"court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"Court Blocks New Nursing Home Rule From Taking Effect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:16px\">By  <a class=\"colorbox\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/11\/07\/501050619\/court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=healthcare\">Rebecca Hersher<\/a><\/span>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/11\/07\/501050619\/court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=healthcare\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/11\/07\/gettyimages-75592199-cb725eaf72b6af4c6a2e48121da5c0bf67640ab9-s1100-c15.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><button>Enlarge this image<\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>A court has blocked a new rule created by the Department of Health and Human Services that would preserve the right of patients and families to sue nursing homes in court. <strong>Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong><\/div>\n<p><span>Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A federal district court in Mississippi has issued an injunction blocking a new rule that would preserve the right of patients and their families to sue nursing homes over quality-of-care disputes.<\/p>\n<p>The rule, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/09\/29\/495918132\/new-rule-preserves-patients-rights-to-sue-nursing-homes-in-court\">announced in September<\/a> by the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services, would ban so-called pre-dispute binding arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts, which require patients and families to settle any dispute over care through arbitration, rather than the court system.<\/p>\n<p>The rule was <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.cms.gov\/2016\/09\/28\/commitment-to-person-centered-care-for-long-term-care-facility-residents\/\">supposed to take effect<\/a> Nov. 28, but the American Health Care Association, an industry group that represents most nursing homes in the U.S., <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/3144589-CMS-Arbitration-Rule-Complaint-10-16-16.html\">filed a lawsuit<\/a> in October to block the rule, which it called &#8220;arbitrary and capricious.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services argued in a September blog post that the rule improved the &#8220;care and safety of the nearly 1.5 million residents in the more than 15,000 long-term care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/10\/18\/498393665\/nursing-home-group-sues-u-s-government-over-new-lawsuit-rule\">As we have reported<\/a>, the rule applies to facilities that receive money from Medicare or Medicaid \u2014 which is nearly all of them.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit by the AHCA also contests the authority of the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services to regulate how nursing homes handle disputes, saying that authority lies solely with Congress.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, a federal district court granted the injunction, even as it acknowledged that &#8220;nursing home arbitration litigation suffers from fundamental defects.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The reason for granting the injunction, the <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/3215195-Prelim-Injunction-Order-AHCA-Et-Al-v-Burwell-2.html\">court explained in its order<\/a>, is that it believes the new rule represents &#8220;incremental &#8216;creep&#8217; of federal agency authority&#8221; \u2014 in this case the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services \u2014 &#8220;beyond that envisioned by the U.S. Constitution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div><span>Article continues after <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/about-npr\/186948703\/corporate-sponsorship\" target=\"_blank\">sponsorship<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The decision indefinitely postpones the rule from taking effect until the lawsuit is settled.<\/p>\n<div>[embedded content]<\/div>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/fivefilters\/block-ads\/wiki\/There-are-no-acceptable-ads\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source:: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/11\/07\/501050619\/court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=healthcare\" class=\"colorbox\" title=\"Court Blocks New Nursing Home Rule From Taking Effect\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/11\/07\/501050619\/court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=healthcare<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/11\/07\/501050619\/court-blocks-new-nursing-home-rule-from-taking-effect?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=healthcare\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/11\/07\/gettyimages-75592199-cb725eaf72b6af4c6a2e48121da5c0bf67640ab9-s1100-c15.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><button>Enlarge this image<\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>A court has blocked a new rule created by the Department of Health and Human Services that would preserve the right of patients and families to sue nursing homes in court. <strong>Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong><\/div>\n<p><span>Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A federal district court in Mississippi has issued an injunction blocking a new rule that would preserve the right of patients and their families to sue nursing homes over quality-of-care disputes.<\/p>\n<p>The rule, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/09\/29\/495918132\/new-rule-preserves-patients-rights-to-sue-nursing-homes-in-court\">announced in September<\/a> by the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services, would ban so-called pre-dispute binding arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts, which require patients and families to settle any dispute over care through arbitration, rather than the court system.<\/p>\n<p>The rule was <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.cms.gov\/2016\/09\/28\/commitment-to-person-centered-care-for-long-term-care-facility-residents\/\">supposed to take effect<\/a> Nov. 28, but the American Health Care Association, an industry group that represents most nursing homes in the U.S., <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/3144589-CMS-Arbitration-Rule-Complaint-10-16-16.html\">filed a lawsuit<\/a> in October to block the rule, which it called &#8220;arbitrary and capricious.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services argued in a September blog post that the rule improved the &#8220;care and safety of the nearly 1.5 million residents in the more than 15,000 long-term care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/10\/18\/498393665\/nursing-home-group-sues-u-s-government-over-new-lawsuit-rule\">As we have reported<\/a>, the rule applies to facilities that receive money from Medicare or Medicaid \u2014 which is nearly all of them.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit by the AHCA also contests the authority of the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services to regulate how nursing homes handle disputes, saying that authority lies solely with Congress.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, a federal district court granted the injunction, even as it acknowledged that &#8220;nursing home arbitration litigation suffers from fundamental defects.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The reason for granting the injunction, the <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/3215195-Prelim-Injunction-Order-AHCA-Et-Al-v-Burwell-2.html\">court explained in its order<\/a>, is that it believes the new rule represents &#8220;incremental &#8216;creep&#8217; of federal agency authority&#8221; \u2014 in this case the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services \u2014 &#8220;beyond that envisioned by the U.S. Constitution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div><span>Article continues after <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/about-npr\/186948703\/corporate-sponsorship\" target=\"_blank\">sponsorship<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The decision indefinitely postpones the rule from taking effect until the lawsuit is settled.<\/p>\n<div>[embedded content]<\/div>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/fivefilters\/block-ads\/wiki\/There-are-no-acceptable-ads\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8982\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}