In a move that top nursing home lobbyists privately hoped wouldn’t come to pass, the Government Accountability Office announced in late August it will be investigating the federal nursing home rating...
Providers see survey gift in penalty delay
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 09, 2017
Penalties for the next phase of nursing home survey guidelines will be postponed a year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced June 30.
CMS studying staff in SNFs
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 11, 2022
Federal contractors are heading into 75 nursing homes this fall to gather data needed to establish a first-ever federal minimum staffing mandate.
CMS: Provider results rising
By
James M. Berklan
May 04, 2016
A new release of data by federal regulators shows nursing home operators are improving.
Lawmakers ask CMS about cut
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 04, 2020
Nearly 100 U.S. lawmakers sent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma a letter in mid-February, expressing concerns over a plan that would slice 8% from Medicare payments for...
MedPAC: Cut therapy caps 33%, hike audits
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 02, 2012
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has recommended that Congress drop the annual allowable limits for Medicare Outpatient Part B payments by one-third. It would mean caps at $1,270, down from $1,880.
CMS intensifies survey oversight in new memo
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 01, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has turned up the heat again on providers with new guidance that directs surveyors to take a more critical look at nurse competency and residents’ quality...
Painkiller distribution could be curtailed
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 02, 2013
An advisory panel has recommended making it more difficult for long-term care residents and others to receive certain painkillers. Providers criticize the proposal, saying it could leave seniors suffering...
Staffing totals don’t add up
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 09, 2018
Nursing homes were placed under a hot spotlight in mid-July after The New York Times ran a lengthy story criticizing fluctuations and apparent understaffing revealed through a new federal data collection...
Reach of ACOs hits 31 million individuals
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 02, 2013
Accountable care organizations are already beginning to change the landscape of American healthcare, veteran observers say.