With some in Washington, DC, speaking about the federal government shutdown lasting until Thanksgiving, there are some concerns arising in the long-term care sector about how to make business plans moving forward, even if there has been no drastic impact yet on operations, save for telehealth services that have been caught in the backdraft of the funding impasse in Congress.

Park Place Live spoke to a major provider in the Southeast, PruittHealth, about the current situation. Neil Pruitt, Jr, chairman and CEO, PruittHealth, said business is normal in most regards, but the situation is fluid given the unknowns involved.

“As the government shutdown enters its third week, we have not experienced any disruption to our core operations at skilled nursing facilities,” he said. “The only operational impact has been a slowdown in regulatory activity, particularly with routine surveys, which is consistent with federal staffing limitations during this period."

The untouchable part of the shutdown when it comes to SNFs, is of course Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, which have been sacrosanct to this point.

"We do not anticipate any issues with Medicare reimbursements through the end of the year for standard services. However, we are seeing a direct impact on therapy services delivered via telehealth,” Pruitt said.

“Following the expiration of pandemic-era waivers on September 30, Medicare has paused reimbursements for many telehealth services, including therapy provided to patients in their homes. This change has forced us to suspend certain telehealth therapy offerings in affected areas, which may limit access for patients who rely on remote care options."

Telehealth or lack thereof, is impacting rural populations that lack the number of therapy services the most.

Pruitt said the wait-and-see approach is actually a “closely monitoring the situation” approach and he remains hopeful that Congress will act to restore flexibilities in the telehealth sphere.

“In the meantime, we continue to advocate for our patients and providers, ensuring that care delivery remains uninterrupted wherever possible," he said.

Related news did come recently from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which issued a special MLN Connects Newsletter to update providers on the claims hold it put in place due to the shutdown.

In the update, CMS said:

“In anticipation of possible Congressional action, CMS has instructed all Medicare Administrative Contractors [MACs] to continue to temporarily hold claims with dates of service of October 1, 2025, and later for services impacted by the expired Medicare legislative payment provisions passed under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. This includes all claims paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, ground ambulance transport claims, and all Federally Qualified Health Center claims. Providers may continue to submit these claims, but payment will not be released until the hold is lifted.

In a blog post in reaction to the news, the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living said “we do not anticipate an impact on providers at this time, assuming that providers bill Part B claims monthly. For those who bill on a more frequent basis, we would recommend that providers hold any claims for October dates of service until this situation is resolved.”

Comments or questions? Please contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.

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