Long-term care and CMS workers occupy common ground
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 03, 2013
Long-term care workers and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services employees might have a lot in common — and that’s not entirely good news.
CMS clarifies compliance requirements, deadlines affected by government shutdown
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 29, 2013
Compliance deadlines, penalty timeframes and other survey and certification requirements for nursing facilities might be subject to adjustment due to the recent federal government shutdown, according to...
CMS: Nursing homes may not establish blanket no-CPR policies
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2013
Nursing homes will face survey citations for facility-wide policies that prohibit cardiopulmonary resuscitation for residents, according to a recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services memorandum.
Cases subject to escrow
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 01, 2013
Federal regulators have expanded the use of escrow accounts so that as of this month, providers will be subject to their use for any kind of deficiency from a standard or complaint survey that draws a...
When two midnights doesn’t equal three days
By
Carol Levine
Sep 23, 2013
Hospital observation stays have been increasing, as have Medicare auditors’ denial of claims related to short inpatient stays on the basis that they should have been counted as observation stays....
CMS issues guidance on survey timing for facilities that change ownership
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 10, 2013
Surveyors should prevent providers from being able to game the Medicare system through well-timed facility sales and purchases, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instructed in a recent memorandum.
OIG calls for more frequent surveys for hospice providers
By
Ashley Carman
Sep 06, 2013
Hospice providers could soon be facing more recertification surveys, if the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has any say in it.
Bigger trash cans allowed in updated LSC waiver rule
By
Ashley Carman
Sep 05, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated its Life Safety Code Waivers on Aug. 30. The update is designed to prevent “unreasonable hardship” for providers while maintaining resident...
Nursing homes will be subject to escrow for all civil monetary penalties, CMS announces
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 05, 2013
Nursing homes facing a civil monetary penalty due to any type of deficiency will be subject to escrow and entitled to request an independent informal dispute resolution process, according to a newly issued...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently finalized 2014 Medicare rate updates for hospices and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and also laid out quality metrics. Hospices will receive...