Progress in trying to undo the hospital ‘observation stay’ mess
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 31, 2013
What is this world coming to? When you complain about bizarre government conditions or regulations, you usually have to assume you’re just whispering into the wind.
Pioneer ACOs post mixed results, but providers still have faith in the model
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 18, 2013
Mixed results from the first year of an ambitious accountable care organization program should not deter providers from moving toward coordinated care models, according to prominent observers. All 32 of...
CMS should confirm its opposition to deemed status for nursing homes, consumer advocates urge
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 16, 2013
Independent accrediting organizations currently are not allowed to grant skilled nursing facilities “deemed status” as Medicare providers, and a prominent long-term care advocacy group wants...
Nursing home residents are allowed to designate organizations as authorized representatives for Medicaid...
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 16, 2013
In the final rule, CMS confirmed that organizations may serve as representatives, specifically citing the needs of nursing home residents who do not have family available for assistance. The rule also...
Government report describes bungled manual review process for therapy claims
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 12, 2013
There was no timely guidance for therapy contractors from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office. That resulted in a struggle...
Limits on nursing home telemedicine will stand, CMS announces
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 10, 2013
Medicare will continue to reimburse only one telehealth visit per month for skilled nursing facility residents, according to a recent proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The...
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....
Progress, success stories on tap for national conference call on dementia care in nursing homes
Jul 03, 2013
Providers and other stakeholders are invited to a national conference call on improving dementia care by lessening the use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes. The call begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern...
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...
Court tosses out citation for runny eggs, limits surveyors
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 01, 2013
Slapped with an Immediate Jeopardy citation for serving undercooked eggs to residents, a nursing home took its defense to a federal appeals court — and won. The court staked out limits on how government...