Projected Medicare Advantage growth to bring more provider headaches, more congressional scrutiny
By
Joe Bush
Oct 05, 2022
Several large insurance providers are expanding their Medicare Advantage plans to new states and hundreds more counties, effective in 2023, adding pressure on skilled nursing operators as enrollment booms.
After record penalties, providers can protect themselves from the DOJ with 3 priorities, experts say
By
Joe Bush
Nov 28, 2022
The Department of Justice is on pace to hand out a record $5.6 billion-plus in total fines and penalties under the False Claims Act this year, a clear indicator that the agency has removed the kid gloves...
Provider lobbyists and lawmakers speed up pleas for help with physician fee cuts
By
Joe Bush
Dec 14, 2022
With a looming Friday deadline to keep the government funded, time is running out for Congress to prevent or abate Medicare physician’s fee cuts proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Bill would use CMS’s Five-Star system to punish consistently 1-star nursing homes
By
Joe Bush
Oct 10, 2022
A bill that would use the federal government’s Five-Star ratings system as a means to identify and punish poor quality nursing homes passed a New Jersey senate committee Thursday, drawing criticism in...
OIG partly blames CMS for Life Care Centers deficiencies
By
Joe Bush
Sep 20, 2022
A federal watchdog said a lack of communication by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may have caused infection control deficiency citations at Life Care Centers of America nursing homes between...
Focused aging services apprenticeships would ease staffing woes, advocates say
By
Joe Bush
Nov 16, 2022
One way to refill the long-term care staffing pipeline is with a robust apprenticeship program that sends students to many of the nation’s nursing homes, officials with nonprofit nursing home advocate...
Healthcare worker vaccination mandate could end after a military vax withdrawal
By
Joe Bush
Dec 06, 2022
Two national vaccine mandates, including the one affecting most nursing home workers, are under attack and could face reversal.
Vendor sues to identify mystery owners of shuttered nursing home so it can sue for fraud
By
Joe Bush
Sep 19, 2022
A vendor serving an Iowa nursing home is accusing the owner of fraud in a case involving unpaid bills of more than $344,000.
Providers anxious for $30 million in relief six months after it was promised
By
Joe Bush
Dec 16, 2022
On June 23, skilled nursing providers in Rhode Island cheered as the just-passed state budget promised them $30 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
ProMedica tackles ‘false’ portrayal of incoming operating partner for 147 sites
By
Joe Bush
Dec 09, 2022
Criticism of a new Welltower skilled nursing operating partnership drove down the real estate investment trust’s stock price Wednesday, but current operator ProMedica said Thursday that a damning report...