Medicare ‘doc fix’ clears hurdle in the House, but providers still have questions
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 24, 2013
A House of Representatives subcommittee has approved legislation reforming physician payments through Medicare. The bill passed out of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health by voice vote on Tuesday,...
Skilled nursing reimbursement has become worse, MedPAC report states
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 14, 2015
Years of Medicare reforms actually have worsened the way skilled nursing providers are reimbursed, and more sweeping changes are needed urgently, according to a new report from the Medicare Payment Advisory...
Acute, post-acute bundled payments are ‘readily achievable,’ report finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 06, 2013
Current patient classification systems could form the basis of a successful bundled payment program for acute and post-acute care, according to a recently published article in the Medicare & Medicaid Research...
Largest US healthcare union praises Obama’s action on immigration
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 24, 2014
Nursing home workers and other members of the country’s largest healthcare union praised President Barack Obama for allowing certain undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status through an executive...
Misleading data on SNF margins threatens fruitful payment reform, Parkinson warns lawmakers
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 03, 2013
Lawmakers may have an inaccurate understanding of skilled nursing facility margins based on outdated and partial information, the leader of the nation’s largest nursing home organization is cautioning....
McKnight’s panel: A brighter future for SNFs
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 01, 2014
Long-term care providers can harness healthcare reform to become more profitable and competitive than ever, but success is not guaranteed. Proactive organizations with advanced technology tools already...
ACA objection by provider earns temporary injunction
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 01, 2014
A Catholic long-term care provider and the federal government opposed each other in recent Supreme Court filings over the Affordable Care Act’s so-called “contraception mandate.”
Long-term care providers, physicians at loggerheads over pace of doctor payment reform
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 11, 2014
Long-term care and physician groups may be headed for an impasse when it comes to fixing Medicare’s system for paying doctors.
Time is limited for ACO deals
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 01, 2013
By negotiating now, a nursing home can have a strong voice in an Accountable Care Organization. Otherwise, ACOs will come to nursing homes in two or three years with a “take it or leave it”...
House and Senate take on bills that would standardize post-acute care data collection
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 30, 2014
Both houses of Congress now officially are considering bills to standardize assessments across various post-acute care provider types. The House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees introduced...