CMS lowers pay hike for skilled nursing facilities to 1.2%
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 31, 2015
Medicare skilled nursing facilities would get a net 1.2% pay increase — totaling $430 million — in fiscal 2016 under a final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late Thursday.
Ask the payment expert … about quality metrics
By
Patricia Boyer
Jun 05, 2015
A metric is a measurement of some sort of factor. For a quality metric, we are measuring quality in your facility. Companies measure performance against quality standards to determine whether they’re...
Providers challenge proposal that adjusts payments, care
By
John Andrews
Jun 05, 2015
Providers in the post-acute care sector seem to be united in wanting BACPAC to take a hike.
Patient CARE Act is probed
By
John Andrews
Jun 05, 2015
Because it does not allow for states’ consent, the proposed Medicaid Patient CARE Act block-grant program likely will be considered unconstitutional, say two public policy authorities.
Fee-for-service still consumes most Medicare outlays: Report
By
John Hall
May 07, 2015
Far more than half of the $360 billion in Medicare payments made just two years ago were based on traditional fee-for-service models without regard to quality or value, according to an independent report...
What will it cost you to stay in the post-acute care game?
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 22, 2015
More than just collecting data, providers need to use standardized, nationally recognized measures. Especially in this era of ACOs and alternative payment models. In the past, many individual providers...
Nursing home operators hail ‘historic’ Senate passage of permanent ‘doc fix’...
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 15, 2015
The Senate overwhelmingly voted to pass H.R. 2 Tuesday night, paving the way for repeal of the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate and drawing the praise of the largest nursing home association in the country.
Online Expo begins Wednesday
Mar 24, 2015
It might still be snowing in some parts of the country, but there’s no better sign of spring than the beginning of the McKnight’s Online Expo.
Joint HHS, Justice efforts recoup $28 billion in Medicare payments
By
John Hall
Mar 19, 2015
The Justice Department announced on Thursday it had captured $3.3 billion from healthcare fraud prosecutions and other deals in 2014, bringing to nearly $28 billion the total amount it has recouped since...
Regaining an appreciation of prevention
By
Tara Roberts
Feb 05, 2015
Healthcare is mandated to reduce spending. The problem is that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and others are so blinded by the “reduce spending” element that we have lost our...