Amount of post-acute care accounts for regional differences in Medicare spending, report says
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 26, 2013
Geographic variations in Medicare payments can be largely explained by how much skilled nursing and post-acute care is being used, according to a recently released interim report from the Institute of...
Debate over healthcare spending continues as House, Senate pass budgets
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 25, 2013
Both houses of Congress passed budgets late last week, setting up the next phase of the ongoing debate over healthcare spending.
Regulations for nursing home ethics programs and QAPI still in the works, administrators say
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 22, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is still working on the regulations for ethics and compliance programs that nursing homes were supposed to have implemented this month, CMS administrators admitted...
TODAY’S THE DAY: McKnight’s Online Expo kicks off with session on MDS 3.0 as lawmakers reintroduce...
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 20, 2013
Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) recently reintroduced a bill to ease audit burdens on long-term care providers. Initially put forward in Oct. 2012, the Medicare Audit Improvement...
Senate Democrats’ budget focuses on cost savings through the Affordable Care Act
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 15, 2013
Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) unveiled a proposed budget Wednesday, offering a plan that contrasts with the one offered earlier in the week by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).
AHCA’s Parkinson ‘cautiously optimistic,’ despite sequester and other looming fiscal...
By
John O'Connor
Mar 07, 2013
A newly enacted sequester may be trimming Medicare payments to skilled nursing operators, but the sector remains strong and poised for future growth. That assessment was delivered Wednesday by the head...
With Medicare cuts coming, GOP prepares another push for vouchers
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 05, 2013
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) is working on a proposed budget that would revamp the Medicare program. Republicans believe the option of turning Medicare into a voucher program may win...
Medicare concessions possible, Obama says
By
John O'Connor
Mar 02, 2013
President Obama touched on several issues that matter to long-term care operators during last month’s State of the Union address. His most urgent message to lawmakers: Do not not allow sequestration...
Obama seeks bipartisanship, so long as it happens his way
By
John O'Connor
Mar 02, 2013
In a State of the Union address that largely touted objectives favored by Democrats, President Obama called on Republicans to be less partisan.
Wounds happen
By
John Andrews
Mar 01, 2013
Providers with proactive approaches to catching wound development early find the most success. Foresight and diligence are needed to make it all work