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...
Aviv finally finds success with $279M initial public offering
By
McKnight's Staff
May 01, 2013
Aviv REIT Inc. netted nearly $279 million in an initial public offering of common stock. The Chicago-based company first tried to go public in 2008 but was stopped by the economic crisis, and a 2009 attempt...
Judge lets kickback case vs. therapy provider go forward
By
McKnight's Staff
May 01, 2013
A whistleblower lawsuit involving a nursing home chain and therapy providers in Missouri can move forward, a federal judge has ruled. The False Claims Act case originated with allegations that a therapy...
Sequester cuts are bringing changes to survey process
By
McKnight's Staff
May 01, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will change some nursing home survey procedures in response to budget cuts from sequestration, according to memos released April 9. The CMS Survey & Certification...
Putting first things first
By
McKnight's Staff
May 01, 2013
A recipe for a complicated nursing home renovation: Take one facility that hasn’t been updated in 45 years, add a strict budget and keep residents on site throughout the project. Columbia Health...
House bill would tighten Medicaid eligibility for long-term care
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 30, 2013
A new House bill would reduce the amount of home equity that is exempted when determining Medicaid eligibility for long-term care. The “Medicaid Program Integrity Act of 2013” would give states...
New calculation method would reduce readmissions penalties, CMS says
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 30, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed changing the way hospital readmission penalties are calculated as part of its 2014 Medicare rate update. Potential readmissions penalties for long-term...
Nursing home robots could come soon, if Japanese government funding pays off
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 30, 2013
The government of Japan will fund the development of four different kinds of robots that could perform essential tasks in nursing homes, the Japan Daily Press reported Monday.
Deadline for HITECH disclosure rule is now ‘fluid,’ federal official says
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 29, 2013
A controversial “accounting of disclosures” provision of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act will probably not be finalized before the scheduled...
Make CMS audits less burdensome, providers urge lawmakers
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 29, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could take a variety of steps to make audits less burdensome, healthcare providers stated in white papers submitted to members of the Senate Finance Committee....