Total episode payments declined but the Medicare program lost big from 2013 to 2016 with Bundled Payments for Care Improvement. The total cost was nearly $290 million. Model 2, the most commonly used track...
PASRR assessment paused
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 01, 2020
Federal regulators have put pre-admission screenings on the back burner, at least temporarily, during the coronavirus pandemic.
CMS targets pay schemes
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 05, 2019
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has said it is going to crack down on “impermissible financing arrangements” currently taking place under Medicaid.
Medicaid changes sought
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 05, 2018
Skilled care providers were reacting with caution to proposed “significant” changes to private Medicaid plans that federal officials say will lessen regulatory burdens and give states more flexibility.
Dreaded MFAR withdrawn
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 01, 2020
Providers got their wish in mid-August when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it was rescinding a controversial proposal that would have cut up to $50 billion annually nationwide from...
Back pay total: $261,000
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 17, 2019
Shoddy bookkeeping and pay practices have cost a New York City-based nursing home operator more than $261,000. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division found that three Centers...
New testing mandates could cost up to $15K each week
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 01, 2020
Larger nursing homes could be on the hook for as much as another $15,000 per week to comply with newly announced COVID-19 testing requirements for staff members, LeadingAge warned in a mid-September report.
CMS makes ‘unprecedented’ quality reporting changes
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 01, 2020
In yet another attempt to offset damage due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made “unprecedented” changes for providers taking part in Medicare quality...
Hospitals using post-acute care as their ‘piggy-bank’
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 06, 2019
Hospitals have saved money in alternative payment models through reducing institutional post-acute care, especially in skilled nursing. Perhaps even worse, they are potentially headed toward unintended...
CMS names 5 new triggers that lead to extra surveys
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 01, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has revised the criteria that require states to conduct the specific surveys, the agency noted in a memo to state survey agencies Jan. 4.