A fourth of the 3.3 million Medicare beneficiaries who lived in a nursing home in 2011 were hospitalized for at least one day. This came at a cost of $14.3 billion, according to a Nov. 18 report from the...
State attorneys general urge suspension and revision of Five-Star rating system
Aug 28, 2009
A total of 31 state attorneys general sent a letter to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In the letter, they called for the suspension and revision of the Five-Star...
CMS boosts payments, incentives for dialysis centers
By
McKnight's Staff
Jul 03, 2012
Medicare payments to providers that offer outpatient maintenance dialysis treatments will increase 2.5% in calendar year 2013, regulators said.
CMS plans second ‘Train-the-Trainer’ event in advance of MDS 3.0, seeks input from nursing...
May 14, 2010
Building on the success of its April “Train-the-Trainer Conference” for MDS 3.0, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is preparing to pull together a second event sometime this August,...
Civil Money Penalty funds don’t have to go directly to nursing homes, CMS notes
Jun 26, 2009
A recently released memo from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services clarifies that Civil Money Penalty (CMP) funds are not just for nursing homes.
Consultant pharmacists join call for delay in short-cycle dispensing for long-term care
Mar 21, 2011
The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists recently joined a growing list of pharmacist- and healthcare-organizations that oppose a shorter prescription drug dispensing cycle for long-term care facilities.
CMS plans to reorganize, establishing new positions, offices
Mar 19, 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is proposing some major structural changes, according to an internal agency e-mail recently obtained by the National Association for the Support of Long Term...
CMS angling to ease providers’ burdens from Medicare Administrative Contractors
By
McKnight's Staff
Jan 10, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is asking providers to help figure out a way to make demands from Medicare Administrative Contractors less burdensome.
Two-midnight rule sends hospital inpatient admissions crashing to record lows, analysis finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 19, 2013
A newly implemented admissions policy has driven hospital inpatient stays to record low levels, according to an analysis from researchers associated with Citigroup.
CMS allows less-severe citations for nursing homes installing a sprinkler system
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 19, 2013
Nursing homes might be able to reduce the scope and severity of deficiency citations related to sprinkler systems, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced.