Providers grateful for certain opportunities in proposed 2025 Medicare pay rule
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2024
Even though debate will continue about how much Medicare reimbursement should rise next year, there’s little disagreement that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services got at least a few things right...
DOJ charges former owner of bankrupt Skyline chain with 22 tax fraud, evasion counts worth $29 million
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 21, 2022
Former nursing home chain owner Joseph Schwartz was taken into custody Thursday afternoon to face more than 20 federal labor and income tax-related fraud charges, according to authorities.
Tired of the bum rap? Here’s how to rise above
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 02, 2013
It’s no wonder you, as a long-term care provider, might get fed up with the general media. Sometimes it has to seem that mass media journalists must sit around the office, wondering what they can...
Nursing homes fire back after CMS warning about ‘exploitative’ debt-collection practices
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 12, 2022
A warning letter sent late last week by federal regulators about nursing home debt collection practices was overblown and obscured another significant problem, nursing home operations experts said over...
CMS guidance bans most visitors, communal dining at nursing homes over COVID-19
By
James M. Berklan
Danielle Brown
Mar 16, 2020
Nursing homes are being directed to restrict all visitor access from its facilities as the nation works to combat and limit the spread of COVID-19. The guidance received instant support from providers...
Providers ‘very encouraged’ after meeting with CMS leader on nursing home reform
By
Danielle Brown
James M. Berklan
Mar 30, 2022
After initial dismay upon hearing the administration’s strategies for sweeping new nursing home reform plans last month, providers were more optimistic after meeting with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
CMS surprises with therapy pay levels in 2022 Medicare physician fee rule
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 14, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pleasantly surprised long-term care therapy providers with several parts of the new 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule that it released Tuesday.
Price-gouging, poaching and thin patience: LTC providers seek fixes for anti-competitive staffing agencies
By
Kimberly Marselas
James M. Berklan
Oct 15, 2021
As the bidding war over frontline workers escalates, provider organizations across the country are seeking government intervention to force temporary staffing agencies to play by similar rules as nursing...
Officials: More additions and rebasings of nursing home ratings to come
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 23, 2015
Nearly one-third of the nation’s skilled nursing facilities lost a rating star due purely to administrative changes Friday, when regulators also emphasized that more quality measures will be added...
CMS official to providers: Help us capture data to drive Medicare Advantage reforms
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 07, 2024
The increased use of health data and providers’ own voices should be considered among the best tools available for achieving change in a system that increasingly relies on Medicaid Advantage and other...