Study: Medicare pay-for-performance penalizes hospitals that treat more elderly patients
Oct 22, 2008
Hospitals that serve large groups of the elderly, poor, African-American or female patients tend to be ranked lower than hospitals with healthier, younger clientele under the Medicare pay-for-performance...
Popular union for nursing home workers withdraws from healthcare reform dialogue
Mar 10, 2009
The largest union representing long-term care workers in the United States has withdrawn from a coalition of healthcare reformers intent on issuing widespread recommendations for lowering costs, according...
CMS researches Medicare Advantage plan costs
Mar 03, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has begun collecting more information on Medicare Advantage plans and cost-sharing policies in response to a report issued last Thursday by the Government Accountability...
Nursing homes want more from McCain long-term care reform plan
May 14, 2008
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain must create a broader reform plan that includes “increased comprehensive coverage for America’s long-term and post-acute care systems,”...
Budget amendment would end bonuses for nursing homes with violations
Apr 07, 2009
In the wake of the American Insurance Group (AIG) bonus scandal, the Senate approved an amendment to the budget bill that would eliminate bonuses paid to nursing homes and other government contractors...
Medicare service providers cannot object to a Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor’s (RAC) decision to re-open a payment decision, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
CMS issues final rule on hospice care
May 30, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released its final rule concerning hospice care, despite a recent notice saying it would delay issuing such a rule until 2009.
Nursing home lobbyists urge lawmakers for change but don’t expect long-term care reform
Jun 05, 2009
Hundreds of nursing home owners and operators blitzed congressional buildings in Washington on Thursday, pressing lawmakers for better Medicare payments, a halt to post-acute payment bundling system talk...
Rockefeller introduces bill making MedPAC independent executive branch agency
May 27, 2009
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is a legislative entity whose purpose is to advise Congress on matters of Medicare reimbursement rates and coverage policies. Now, one senator has introduced...
Report: Medicaid long-term care spending to skyrocket over next 20 years
Oct 02, 2008
Many consumers are ill-informed about Medicare and Medicaid’s role in long-term care, and greater planning could help reduce the danger of soaring Medicaid costs, according to a new report from America’s...