Ask the legal expert … about a potential Medicaid audit
By
Norris Cunningham
Jan 25, 2023
I heard that the Office of Inspector General’s Work Plan for 2023 includes a CMS audit of Medicaid nursing facility use of funds related to direct patient care. Should I be concerned?
81 percent of nursing homes receive less than cost of care for Medicaid patients: analysis
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 05, 2023
A fresh report from a Congressional advisory panel Wednesday revealed wide fluctuations in state Medicaid rates, findings that come as federal regulators consider a staffing mandate and increasing their...
Senior care scores some wins in congressional budget deal
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 21, 2022
A Congressional spending package for fiscal year 2023 supports key healthcare policy requests important to long-term care industry stakeholders, saving some clinicians and services from feared cuts.
Nurse practitioners will do more in skilled nursing facilities if ICAN Act becomes law
By
Joe Bush
Dec 13, 2022
US Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is championing a bill authorizing nurse practitioners to expand their capabilities, including performing all mandatory examinations in skilled nursing facilities.
Defiant Sloan to nursing home critics: Address funding to tackle staffing challenge
By
Joe Bush
Dec 07, 2022
The leader of one the nation’s largest skilled nursing organizations Tuesday pushed back against a recent popular narrative about understaffing, reiterating concerns about Medicaid pay that continues...
Lawmakers seek to bolster Medicare, Medicaid mental health coverage
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 07, 2022
Senators cited constituent concerns about so-called ghost networks — listings of physicians who are unavailable to provide care.
High-quality care for residents will NEVER exist unless we care for staff
By
Buffy Lloyd-Krejci, DrPH, CIC
Nov 30, 2022
Any employee who is satisfied in their position is more engaged and productive. The healthcare industry is no different. This is not controversial or shocking. I am not going out on a limb when I talk...
Providers, states grapple with billion-dollar needs ahead of federal staffing minimum
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 17, 2022
Provider organizations across the country are trying to pinpoint just how much of an investment they’ll need to meet
Providers ‘on notice’ as CMS pressures states to shift Medicaid pay metrics
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 10, 2022
Providers still struggling to accurately capture diagnoses that drive federal reimbursement will be doubly left behind as more states start to use Patient Driven Payment Model-like systems to determine...
Nearly half of states now using Medicaid to boost direct-care pay
By
Joe Bush
Nov 04, 2022
At least 19 states are actively implementing strategies to address direct care worker wages through reporting and/or enforcement mechanisms, a report issued this week by the National Governors Association...