Deadline for mental health plan comments midnight Monday
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 15, 2014
Advocates for better mental health services for adults will be pressing until at least midnight Monday to have comments submitted to include seniors in a new federal behavioral health plan,
Therapy pay switch provokes providers
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 05, 2018
Skilled nursing providers happily received word of a 2.4% Medicare pay increase in the government’s final 2019 payment that was announced in late July.
‘Special’ times ahead for more nursing homes, and that’s not good
By
James M. Berklan
May 28, 2014
As spring blends into summer, some nursing home operators are going to start feeling more heat — and it will have nothing to do with the weather. They will be given places on the proverbial hot seat....
MedPAC: Cut therapy caps 33%, hike audits
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 02, 2012
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has recommended that Congress drop the annual allowable limits for Medicare Outpatient Part B payments by one-third. It would mean caps at $1,270, down from $1,880.
More scrutiny ahead for Five-Star ratings
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 05, 2015
In a move that top nursing home lobbyists privately hoped wouldn’t come to pass, the Government Accountability Office announced in late August it will be investigating the federal nursing home rating...
Providers fume over pay freeze
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 06, 2015
Long-term care providers quickly fired back after a congressional advisory committee recommended no Medicare pay increase for the coming year.
The budget and a lack of friends
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 04, 2015
If there’s one thing long-time political observers can tell you with certainty, it is this: You can make friends when you pass laws, but you rarely do when you propose a budget.
McKnight’s Senior Living and Daily Briefing debut
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 20, 2015
Senior living professionals have a new source of daily news, analysis and information from the most trusted media publisher in long-term care. McKnight’s Senior Living (www.McKnightsSeniorLiving.com)...
High Court to hear SNF case
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 05, 2017
The U.S. Supreme Court was scheduled to hear arguments in late February in a nursing home arbitration lawsuit that could alter the industry’s future, close observers said.
Device program expands
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 09, 2018
A six-year-old Medicare demonstration program that focuses on pre-approvals for power wheelchairs and other mobility devices will get new life this fall. Overall, 31 items were added to the program, according...