Medicaid spending on home-and-community based services out-gained spending on institutional care, like nursing homes, for a seventh year in a row, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Taking the senior care ancillary route: Proceed, but with caution
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 28, 2022
Diversification is an increasingly important business tactic for many senior care operators, but those in skilled nursing need to ensure they view add-on services through the appropriate lens.
‘Not a shock:’ MedPAC considering 5% pay cut for SNFs
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 14, 2021
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is leaning toward recommending a 5% pay cut for skilled nursing facilities in fiscal 2021 after a new report found that Medicare margins may indicate SNF pay rates...
CMS let the cat out of the bag, but it’s managed care that’s ready to pounce
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 05, 2021
If you work with managed care (and who doesn’t anymore), chances are pretty good you’re already on a collision course that’s been accelerated lately
As Medicare Advantage drives rate lower, fed-up CEOs embrace strategies that limit carriers’ influence
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 26, 2021
Medicare Advantage’s aggressive market penetration represents a major threat to skilled nursing providers, some of whom now find themselves clearing less per resident day through MA plans than they do...
Spring cleaning 2021: Will your rehab team pass the white-glove review?
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 22, 2021
Spring is in the air. Time to open the doors, let some fresh air in, and clean above, under and between every surface in our homes. Spring is a season that allows my obsessive cleaning habits to become...
‘Audits are back,’ and COVID-19 care is in the hot seat
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 21, 2021
Flexibilities granted to providers during the ongoing public health emergency are likely to result in increased medical reviews and automated denials, a therapy billing specialist is warning.
Danger ahead?: SNFs face potentially steep cuts as CMS considers changes to PDPM, VBP program
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 12, 2021
A recalibration to the Patient Driven Payment Model could have troubling payment implications for skilled nursing providers who are still trying to manage a difficult operating environment caused by the...
‘Alarming’ nurse turnover rates linked to quality, payment woes in major new nursing home study
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 02, 2021
Skilled nursing’s employee turnover problem — long linked to issues with quality of care — is much worse than previously reported, according to a massive analysis published Monday.
Therapy carnage at start of PDPM not as severe as feared: study
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 02, 2021
The first academic study of its kind has found that the first three months of nursing homes’ overhauled Medicare payment system at the end of 2019 led to a distinct drop-off in the employed number of...