Overhaul of Nursing Home Compare website is complete
Aug 02, 2011
The redesign of the federal Nursing Home Compare website, which lets consumers file complaints more easily and compare facilities based on quality measures, is complete.
Rehab facilities see reimbursement increase tied to quality measures
Aug 02, 2011
Inpatient rehab facilities will see a 2.2% payment rate increase under the IRF Prospective Payment System in fiscal year 2012. The system will also establish a new quality reporting system authorized by...
Provider groups ‘appalled’ by CMS rule that would trim SNF payments by 11.1%
Aug 01, 2011
Provider groups slammed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday after the agency issued a final rule that would reduce Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities by $3.87 billion for...
CMS plans to cut Medicare payments by 11.1%, starting Oct. 1
Jul 29, 2011
Medicare payments to nursing homes would be trimmed by 11.1% beginning Oct. 1, under a corrective proposal the federal government issued on Friday. The call for reduced funding comes amid reports that...
Medicaid eligibility limits gaining momentum as a way to cut spending
Jul 27, 2011
As federal deficit-reduction talks continue, lawmakers from both sides are proposing legislation to tighten Medicaid eligibility rules. The legislators’ collective goal is to trim program outlays...
CMS proposes depression screening for seniors
Jul 22, 2011
A new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposal would screen more Medicare beneficiaries for depression, according to a recent memo.
OIG report: Correct nursing home Medicare pay ‘immediately’
Jul 12, 2011
Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities increased unexpectedly by $2.1 billion (16%) during the first six months of fiscal 2011, according to a new report issued by the Office of the Inspector...
HHS announces nursing home care coordination initiative
Jul 11, 2011
A new federal initiative aims to cut hospitalizations among nursing home residents receiving both Medicare and Medicaid, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday.
CMS proposed 1.8% pay rate increase to dialysis providers
Jul 07, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that would increase payment rates to about 5,300 dialysis providers by 1.8% in calendar year 2012. This rate increase is part of...
Provider group: Cut Medicare pay rate by 3.0%, save 100,000 jobs
Jun 29, 2011
The leader of the nation’s largest nursing home association has suggested the federal government cut Medicare reimbursement rates by 3.0% in fiscal 2012, not a threatened 11.3%. Such a move, along...