Updated palliative care guidelines: Providers should increase coordination, embrace QAPI
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 15, 2013
Palliative care should follow care coordination and quality improvement processes called for by the Affordable Care Act, according to updated guidelines from the National Consensus Project for Quality...
Long-term care pharmacy groups propose changes to make short-cycle dispensing more efficient, cost-effective
By
McKnight's Staff
Feb 05, 2013
Long-term care pharmacies are struggling with an Affordable Care Act provision related to short-cycle dispensing of brand name oral solid drugs, according to a recent letter from the Long Term Care Pharmacy...
State Medicaid spending growth, enrollment reach near record lows, report finds
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 25, 2012
Medicaid enrollment growth fell to 3.2% in 2012, compared to 4.4% in 2011. Government spending growth on Medicaid slowed to 2% in 2012, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation Commission on Medicaid and...
House and Senate ACA-replacement bills propose universal long-term care coverage
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 11, 2013
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have introduced a bill to institute a single-payer healthcare system that would include universal long-term care coverage.
Governors divided on Medicaid expansion, creating uncertain fiscal forecast for long-term care operators
By
McKnight's Staff
Jan 18, 2013
There are likely to be notable gaps in Medicaid coverage through the nation when major parts of the Affordable Care Act go into effect on the first day of 2014, according to a New England Journal of Medicine...
Over 2,000 hospitals will be targeted for readmission penalties starting Oct. 1
Aug 14, 2012
In about six weeks, more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals will be subject to financial penalties for preventable readmissions, making their relationships with post-acute providers more important than ever.
CLASS Act was doomed from the start, says GOP report
Sep 16, 2011
Health and Human Services officials were concerned about the sustainability of the CLASS Act prior to the bill’s passage, according to a new report.
Medicare safe from ACA-mandated cuts, official says
By
McKnight's Staff
May 02, 2013
Potential Medicare cuts called for by the Affordable Care Act will not occur, a chief government actuary has announced. Long-term care organizations said the news comes as a relief for providers who have...
HHS issues final rule on federal payment rates for new Medicaid beneficiaries
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 01, 2013
The federal government will pay 100% of the Medicaid costs for certain newly eligible beneficiaries under the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed in a final rule...
CMS crackdown doubles Medicare removals
By
McKnight's Staff
Jun 07, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has removed 14,663 healthcare providers and suppliers from the Medicare program in the last two years, the agency announced Thursday. The figure more than doubles...