Therapy caps are back on for now, even though Congress may still be prepared to eliminate them in 2018.
RAC groups battle provider plea for short-stay payment relief
By
John Hall
Feb 19, 2015
Third-party firms that audit Medicare bills for payment issues are pushing back hard against a hospital association plea for more favorable short-stay reimbursements, adding to the ongoing unwelcome specter...
CMS work group recommends approach for employing former criminals in long-term care settings
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 19, 2013
Long-term care providers and states should agree on what a “direct access employee” is and whether that person has a criminal conviction that should keep him or her from working in a nursing...
Dementia mortality skyrockets since lockdowns; CMS loosens visitor restrictions
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 18, 2020
An excessive number of deaths due to dementia have occurred since shelter-in-place orders went into effect this spring, a new analysis finds. Meanwhile, CMS has proposed a framework for nursing homes...
Medicare’s midlife crisis
By
John O'Connor
Aug 03, 2012
The Medicare program just marked its 47th anniversary. Whether that milestone is a cause for celebration or concern is open to debate.
Make CMS audits less burdensome, providers urge lawmakers
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 29, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could take a variety of steps to make audits less burdensome, healthcare providers stated in white papers submitted to members of the Senate Finance Committee....
Trauma care, drug-reduction prove ‘scary’ tasks as guidance deadline approaches
By
Joe Bush
Oct 21, 2022
As staff at skilled nursing facilities scramble to comply with hundreds of pages of interpretive guidance that kicks in Monday, experts warned that one major emphasis should be on meeting new standards...
BREAKING: Supreme Court speeds vax mandates to Jan. 7 hearing
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 22, 2021
The U.S. Supreme Court took the unusual step of announcing Wednesday night that it would hear arguments over the administration’s COVID-19 worker vaccine mandate on Jan. 7, three days before it was originally...
Provider group: Cut Medicare pay rate by 3.0%, save 100,000 jobs
Jun 29, 2011
The leader of the nation’s largest nursing home association has suggested the federal government cut Medicare reimbursement rates by 3.0% in fiscal 2012, not a threatened 11.3%. Such a move, along...
AHCA pitches ‘permanent’ therapy payment system
By
John Hall
Mar 06, 2015
Nursing homes’ biggest national ally and advocate is making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week in an effort to convince Congress to let die a lengthy experiment to withhold therapy claims while...