Yarwood: Five-star rating system, card-check legislation loom large
Oct 07, 2008
While the nursing home industry can be proud of its accomplishments in Washington over the last year, many challenges await. These include card-check legislation in Congress and a problematic five-star...
States react to OIG nursing home deficiency report
Oct 03, 2008
After the release of a recent Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General report on nursing home violations, states are coming out in defense of their records.
Officials give nursing homes new help to avert fraud and abuse
Oct 01, 2008
Health officials on Tuesday issued new voluntary guidelines for nursing homes to help them avert fraud and abuse in Medicaid, Medicare and other federal healthcare programs. The 17-page long document was...
Tougher economy means greater likelihood of Medicaid cuts, Kaiser survey reveals
Oct 01, 2008
A new survey of state officials shows that increasing budget pressures could lead states to start clicking down their Medicaid programs. Most have resisted cuts thus far, but the odds of that continuing...
OIG: Nearly all nursing homes violated federal standards in 2007
Sep 30, 2008
More than nine out of 10 nursing homes in the United States last year were cited for violating federal health and safety standards, according to a report released Monday by the Department of Health and...
Analysis: Whistleblowers help feds recover $9.3 billion from providers accused of defrauding government
Sep 03, 2008
The Department of Justice has recovered more than $9.3 billion from drug companies and healthcare providers that tried to rip off state or federal agencies.
New CMS guide serves as road map for Medicare coverage, coding
Sep 02, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hopes that a new online guide for Medicare beneficiaries and healthcare providers will be a “one-stop shop” for information on coverage, coding...
Federal agencies at odds: Medicare payment error rate much higher than first reported
Aug 27, 2008
The Office of the Inspector General has issued a report claiming that the Medicare payment error rate for durable medical equipment in 2006 was significantly higher than the 7.5% rate claimed by the Centers...
New CMS document to aid states in integrating Medicare, Medicaid for dual eligibles
Aug 26, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently released a tool for states that want to integrate and coordinate Medicare and Medicaid services for dual-eligible beneficiaries.
CMS: MDS 2.0 versus MDS 3.0 Comparison Crosswalk draft available
Aug 25, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a draft Comparison Crosswalk to aid in the transition between MDS 2.0 and MDS 3.0.