Long-term care facilities refusing free CMS resource on dementia, nurses association says
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 17, 2014
Some nursing homes are not accepting a dementia training resource sent by the government, even though it is free and recommended, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Nursing.
CMS calls for additional participants in post-acute bundled payments programs
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 18, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a call for additional providers to take part in a bundled payment program that involves post-acute care.
CMS: Nurse shortage means hospices can keep using contracted workers
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 08, 2014
Hospices can continue to rely on contract nurses because an ongoing nurse shortage is preventing providers from meeting their staffing needs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in a...
CMS: Many skilled nursing providers have poor Medicare certification and recertification practices
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 22, 2014
The rate of improper Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities has increased largely due to issues with certification and recertification statements, according to a recently released government memorandum....
With ICD-10 transition date firm and testing imminent, Medicare agency releases new provider resources
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 28, 2014
Long-term care providers can refer to newly released materials about looming ICD-10 testing and the overall transition to the new coding system, but they should not expect any delay in the Oct. 1 transition...
CMS memo explains four-part testing approach for ICD-10 implementation
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 20, 2014
A new transmittal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides details about its four-part approach to implementing ICD-10 codes for Medicare fee-for-service claims. Medicare providers will...
CMS updates coding instructions for hospice site of service, principal diagnosis
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 02, 2014
A new Medicare hospice manual update includes instructions for which principal diagnosis codes are acceptable, and clarifies which codes should be used for services in a skilled versus non-skilled nursing...
CMS proposes more rigorous emergency preparedness rules for long-term care facilities
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 03, 2014
Long-term care facilities would have to meet more comprehensive emergency preparedness guidelines, under a newly proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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...
Federal judge blocks new RAC contracts
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 04, 2014
Adding to the ongoing controversy around Medicare’s Recovery Audit Contractor program, a judge has ruled that the government cannot award new RAC contracts until disputed payment terms are resolved.