The top headlines throughout 2025 for the post-acute, long-term and home health care sectors.
December 2024
APIC and AAPACN release new infection prevention resources for skilled long-term care facilities
In March 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new guidance for skilled nursing facilities on the use of enhanced barrier precautions (EBP) to help prevent infections, which involves the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) – specifically gowns and gloves, during high-contact resident care activities, such as assistance with bathing, dressing, or toileting long-term care residents.
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), in collaboration with the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN), released a practice guidance tool and resource guide for infection prevention in December 2024 to assist healthcare professionals working in skilled long-term care facilities implement EBP to prevent multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs).
The practice guidance tool outlines when EBP should be implemented for residents, provides infection control recommendations for routine care activities, and includes case study examples for healthcare professionals and care staff to help reinforce learning. The resource guide also provides a comprehensive list of infection control websites and references – both tools are available for providers cost-free from APIC.
March 2025
American Health Care Association/ National Center for Assisted Living releases 2025 policy priorities for a ‘better way’
The American Health Care Association (ACHA) announced its 2025 policy priorities in March, known as ‘The Better Way,’ to encourage Congress and the current administration to work with nursing homes to protect access to care and prepare for a growing national elderly population.
According to AHCA, Americans are living longer and requiring long-term care, which necessitates solutions that ensure quality care, a stable workforce, sustainable reimbursement and a more effective regulatory system for post-acute care.
Policy priorities outlined in ‘The Better Way’ include strengthening the long-term care workforce, protecting Medicaid, reaffirming the promise of Medicare Advantage and rationalizing the regulatory environment.
June 2025
U.S. Nursing Home spending projected to soar
Annual spending on nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) is projected to nearly double from $192.9 billion in 2022 to $385.9 billion by 2033, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Office of the Actuary and Skilled Nursing News in June 2025.
Year over year growth rates is expected at approximately 8.3% in 2024, 8.0% in 2025, then slowing to 6.2% in 2026–27 and around 5.6% annually through 2028. These projections exclude the potential impact of proposed reconciliation budget changes, which, according to CMS, may further influence spending trends.
July 2025
CMS launches nursing home ratings and revamps inspection metrics
CMS detailed key updates to the Nursing Home Care Compare platform in July 2025 – aggregating performance data for nursing home chains, which includes average overall five-star ratings, inspection outcomes, staffing and quality measures that are now displayed in a more consumer-friendly layout.
CMS also dropped the oldest “third cycle” standard inspection from the health inspection rating to better reflect current performance and incorporate more comprehensive long stay antipsychotic measures that combine Medicare/Medicaid claims with existing data. CMS noted that these updates will leverage data to improve the measure’s accuracy. Finally, COVID-19 vaccination rates for residents and staff were removed from the CMS’s main profile pages, streamlining reported indicators.
August 2025
CDC launches sepsis prevention assessment tool for nursing homes
Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency that affects at least 1.7 million adults each year, and since 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been addressing sepsis by providing new, innovative tools to help optimize patient care, such as the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements (Sepsis Core Elements).
In August 2025, CDC launched a Sepsis Prevention Assessment Tool that can assist nursing homes in better understanding sepsis attitudes and practices among their frontline staff. By modifying pre-existing sepsis and infection prevention assessments, the CDC Sepsis Prevention Assessment Tool helps nursing homes navigate and improve sepsis recognition and escalation of care to get patients to an acute care facility faster.
UnitedHealth and Amedisys reach settlement with Department of Justice over $3.3B merger
UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys officially closed a $3.3 billion merger deal, making Amedisys a wholly owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth, joining the company’s Optum unit. The two parties agreed to divest 164 home health and hospice facilities across 19 states, securing approval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to move forward.
October 2025
Providence, Compassus launch California joint venture
Providence and Compassus, a leading national provider of home-based care services, announced the first phase of a joint venture for six home health and five hospice and community-based palliative care locations across Alaska, Texas and Washington.
Under the agreement, Compassus will go forward managing operations for the joint venture, positioning both organizations to meet the growing demand for home health and hospice services while addressing rising healthcare costs and workforce shortages.
The new company will operate under the name Providence at Home with Compassus, and in Lubbock, Texas, the Covenant Health hospice program that is part of the Providence family of organizations will be rebranded as Covenant Health at Home with Compassus.