HHS chief returns focus of low COVID-19 vax rates to nursing homes
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 04, 2024
The nation’s top health official met with US nursing home leaders for the second time in two weeks Wednesday to discuss what he called concerningly low COVID-19 vaccination rates among long-term care...
CMS proposes appeals process for Medicare patients placed on observation stay
By
Josh Henreckson
Jan 02, 2024
Medicare patients initially admitted to hospitals as inpatients but later reclassified as outpatients under observation would finally have a process to appeal those decisions, thanks to a long-awaited...
OIG urges CMS to use claims to uncover abuse of Medicare patients
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 10, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has pledged to issue new guidance on resident abuse after a federal watchdog found the agency was failing to use claims data to spot potential cases of neglect...
As values shift, it’s time to add something back to nursing
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 24, 2023
It seems like everything these days requires a value proposition to be appealing. What can we add to an experience or a product to make it better and one-up the competition?
CMS ‘naive’ about staffing minimum proposal details, professor claims
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Sep 20, 2023
The proposed federal staffing rule is “shockingly low” and will not measurably improve working and care conditions in nursing homes, consumer advocates claimed during a webinar that was conducted without...
Guess what’s about to start rolling downhill
By
John O'Connor
Sep 18, 2023
As we’ve come to understand, bad things can happen through no fault of our own. Sometimes, it’s a matter of someone else being victimized by fate’s fickle finger – and playing the misfortune forward.
Biden’s regulatory Death Star
By
Brendan Williams
Sep 11, 2023
Despite federal data showing that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to massive job losses for nursing and residential care facilities – with the workforce 218,200 workers smaller last month...
With every SNF already under scrutiny, federal task force aims to cut healthcare spending, eliminate...
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Aug 30, 2023
A new task force from the US House Budget Committee will look at how to reduce healthcare spending, including ways to modernize healthcare and support access to care.
CMS 5-claim audits so far a ‘debacle’
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Aug 22, 2023
A new federal review process designed to lower the rate of improper government payments is sending provider staffs scurrying to justify their coding.
Medicare Advantage plan settles upcoding allegations for $22.5M
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 02, 2023
A Medicare Advantage plan will pay $22.5 million to settle allegations that it systematically reviewed patient charts to tack on additional charges before submitting claims to Medicare, federal law enforcement...