Lawmakers call for public disclosure of Medicare payments, ask for input on post-acute reforms
By
McKnight's Staff
Jun 20, 2013
The battle against Medicare waste, fraud and abuse heated up on Capitol Hill this week. Lawmakers introduced a bill to make Medicare claims and payments publicly available and asked for provider input...
Gulf Coast receives highest Medicare payouts for post-acute care, CMS national databank shows
By
McKnight's Staff
Jun 04, 2013
States around the Gulf of Mexico and in the Rust Belt face the highest post-acute care costs in the nation, according to Medicare data released Monday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Observation stay challenge heads to court
By
McKnight's Staff
May 06, 2013
Government lawyers and opponents of Medicare’s “observation stay loophole” squared off in court on Friday, when a federal judge convened the first hearing in the Bagnall vs. Sebelius...
Medicare safe from ACA-mandated cuts, official says
By
McKnight's Staff
May 02, 2013
Potential Medicare cuts called for by the Affordable Care Act will not occur, a chief government actuary has announced. Long-term care organizations said the news comes as a relief for providers who have...
New calculation method would reduce readmissions penalties, CMS says
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 30, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed changing the way hospital readmission penalties are calculated as part of its 2014 Medicare rate update. Potential readmissions penalties for long-term...
HHS wants $10 million potential payday for Medicare fraud whistleblowers
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 26, 2013
The Department of Health and Human Services is trying to encourage Medicare fraud whistleblowers by substantially increasing their potential reward. The current maximum award of $1,000 would go up to $9.9...
Medicare compliance tips, free CE on tap for May 7 Super Tuesday webcast
Apr 21, 2013
Operational compliance for providers is taking on growing importance when it comes to Medicare covered services. The next McKnight’s Super Tuesday webcast, May 7, will provide strategies providers...
Of Purell and payment reform
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 16, 2013
I was sympathetic when the Partnership for Sustainable Health Care called for a speedier shift away from fee-for-service last week — and I also thought about Purell. Yes, that Purell.
A study that may never be done — but should
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 28, 2013
Government agencies and lobbyists are famous for conducting studies that prove a point — theirs, namely. That’s why I’ll be very interested to see who will have the courage to conduct one...
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...