By: Dave Kingsley I. Introduction The widespread belief that nursing home companies operate on a “low margin” is one of the most destructive myths blocking meaningful reform of the U.S. nursing home system. For nearly four decades, Clifton, Larson, Allen (CLA)—one of the nation’s most influential accounting firms—has reinforced this myth through its Annual SNF Cost Comparison and Industry Trends Report* – a publication based entirely on CMS Cost Report data. Despite its authoritative tone, the CLA report is methodologically unsound and substantively misleading. Yet it remains a powerful political instrument, routinely deployed to persuade legislators that Medicaid underfunds nursing…