On Oct. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be updating the Minimum Data Set with another round of changes. Most are minor but there will be two changes to the therapy section. Your case-mix...
What is therapy? It’s not as simple as it might seem
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Aug 13, 2013
“What is therapy?” sounds like a simple question, but it requires a separate and very complex answer for each discipline.
CMS not saying much about a payment deal that could be a game changer
By
John O'Connor
Jul 08, 2013
In recent years, many skilled care operators have nervously watched the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduce and sometimes eliminate payments for physical, occupational and speech therapy services....
50 shades of G-coding
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jul 02, 2013
Sorry, ladies, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up with that title. But does anyone else feel like there is a lot of ambiguity to the new G-Coding system? Well, it’s a little too early to tell...
Federal judge to troubled operator: Exhaust other options before you make a federal case
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 11, 2013
A facility with a history of safety deficiencies must exhaust its administrative options before seeking relief in the courtroom, a district court judge ruled. Moreover, the requested temporary injunction...
The G-codes are here for payment claims — ready or not
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 23, 2013
Effective July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will begin rejecting claims received for Medicare Part B patients that do not include the new requirement of G-coding. That really means providers...
Will there be a ‘real’ CMS administrator soon? It’s looking so
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 03, 2013
If you’re a gambling person, it looks like the odds just got a whole lot better for Marilyn Tavenner becoming the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That’s...
Medication adherence strategies for lowering hospital readmission rates
By
Bill Shields
Nov 15, 2012
Nearly one in five Medicare patients return to the hospital within a month of discharge, costing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) an extra $17.5 billion in 2010. Multi-medication packaging...
Ready Set: QAPI!
By
Steven Littlehale
Nov 05, 2012
Nursing facilities must submit written QAPI plans to CMS one year after promulgation of the regulation. This regulation will be in addition to current QAA standards.
Presidential election, Medicaid expansion crucial to future of nursing home funding
By
McKnight's Staff
Sep 26, 2012
If President Obama is re-elected in November, governors who have resisted implementing the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion will likely change their tune, a former government official speculated...