In the quest for Medicare patients, Yelp stars outshine Care Compare
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Sep 22, 2023
More consumers are turning to social media review platforms to help choose a nursing home for family members, but the reviews can be skewed by anecdotal and personal evidence, a new study shows.
Medicare Advantage: A not-so-advantageous deal for beneficiaries and providers
By
Brendan Williams
Nov 29, 2023
Open enrollment is well underway for Medicare, as television viewers inundated with cheesy insurance company ads can tell. Those ads must work. For the first time 2024 will see most Medicare...
Also in the News for Friday, Sept. 16
By
Joe Bush
Sep 16, 2022
House approves bill to streamline Medicare Advantage prior authorization process… Physician who worked with SNFs sentenced for Medicare foul-ups and letting employees issue prescriptions in his absence
Happy New Year. Now pay up.
By
John O'Connor
Jan 08, 2023
Minimum pay hikes took place in 27 states Jan. 1 , so look out, long-term care providers.
CMS discharge program isn’t reaching those with highest readmission risks: study
By
Kristen Fischer
Mar 22, 2024
A new report took a deeper dive to see if the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ transitional care management (TCM) program is reaching those most at risk. Even though the program is designed to...
Push for permanent telehealth funding kicks into high gear in Congress
By
Josh Henreckson
Mar 15, 2024
With ongoing federal Medicare reimbursements for telehealth set to expire at the end of the year, a bipartisan push is underway in the US House of Representatives to make those payments permanent.
Providers grateful for certain opportunities in proposed 2025 Medicare pay rule
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2024
Even though debate will continue about how much Medicare reimbursement should rise next year, there’s little disagreement that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services got at least a few things right...
In-house hospice unit bucks long-standing SNF underuse
By
Joe Bush
Oct 27, 2022
While many nursing home patients who would qualify for hospice care never get it, a Pennsylvania provider is shoring up its efforts around end-of-life care with a new 16-bed hospice unit.
Projected Medicare Advantage growth to bring more provider headaches, more congressional scrutiny
By
Joe Bush
Oct 05, 2022
Several large insurance providers are expanding their Medicare Advantage plans to new states and hundreds more counties, effective in 2023, adding pressure on skilled nursing operators as enrollment booms.
An insider’s guide to managed care contract exclusions
By
Susie Mix
Dec 18, 2023
There’s a key question more providers need to know the answer to: What is a contract exclusion? A contract exclusion details the medications and treatments that are not included in the levels of a managed...