‘Not a shock:’ MedPAC considering 5% pay cut for SNFs
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 14, 2021
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is leaning toward recommending a 5% pay cut for skilled nursing facilities in fiscal 2021 after a new report found that Medicare margins may indicate SNF pay rates...
2022: What will the technical experts say?
By
Renee Kinder
Dec 09, 2021
The new year is upon us. What new areas of regulatory change will your teams monitor in 2022? CPT? Parity? Survey trends? Quality? Yes, obviously quality, Renee, but the future of quality… where...
Phase 4 PRF award timeline updated
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 22, 2021
Long-term care operators who have applied for Phase 4 Provider Relief or rural COVID-19 relief payments won’t receive the awards until mid-December, after a distribution delay was announced by the Health...
Experts propose new Medicare payment model that emphasizes collaboration between nursing homes, hospitals
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 19, 2021
Post-acute care facilities could benefit from a new, comprehensive care payment model that would reimburse providers through collaborations with hospitals that aim to improve care and outcomes for residents,...
BREAKING: CMS finalizes therapy pay cuts in 2022 Physician Pay Rule, and extends COVID reporting period
By
Danielle Brown
James M. Berklan
Nov 02, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a 15% payment reduction for physical and occupational therapy assistants, and extended temporary telehealth services added to Medicare during the...
Providers’ best chances in federal budget talks lie with funding for infection prevention, staffing:...
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 13, 2021
OXON HILL, MD — Long-term care interests are clearly down the priority line in federal budget negotiators, one of the industry’s top lobbyists noted Tuesday, but several key topics also have earned...
Long-term care’s problems are bad and getting worse — but fixable
By
Stephen A. Moses
Oct 01, 2021
The long-term care business is hurting: labor shortages, wage pressures, vax mandates, too much Medicaid, too little private pay, value-based reimbursement, MedPAC vs. Medicare and so on and on. What should...
SNFs have advantage with new provider relief funds, one key is filing early
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 13, 2021
Skilled nursing facilities should have the advantage against other healthcare providers in getting much needed additional COVID-19 relief funds being made available by the Department of Health and Human...
BREAKING: HHS releases $25.5 billion in additional provider relief funds
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 10, 2021
Providers can begin applying for their share of an additional $25.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds starting Sept. 29, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday morning.
Great moments in unintended LTC consequences
By
Stephen A. Moses
Jul 26, 2021
Reason.com publishes a video feature called “Great Moments in Unintended Consequences.” Each episode features three problems, three “solutions,” and comical coverage of the unanticipated results....