Skilled nursing facilities participating in the Medicare program and nursing facilities in the Medicaid program are prohibited from including a mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clause in their contracts with individuals seeking admission to long-term care (LTC) facilities under a final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This prohibition and other significant new or amended regulatory changes will go into effect on November 28, 2016, a mere 55 days after publication in the Federal Register.  To read the full article, written by Albany Principal James Shannon, click here.