Bill would use CMS’s Five-Star system to punish consistently 1-star nursing homes
By
Joe Bush
Oct 10, 2022
A bill that would use the federal government’s Five-Star ratings system as a means to identify and punish poor quality nursing homes passed a New Jersey senate committee Thursday, drawing criticism in...
MDS surprises fill new draft
By
Joe Bush
Oct 07, 2022
Long-term care facilities, staff and more than half the states should prepare immediately for changes to the Minimum Data Set, experts said in early September.
States get needed nurse aide waiver relief but workers’ fates uncertain
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 07, 2022
Skilled nursing providers in at least 15 states averted the loss of thousands of frontline workers Thursday, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services let expire a blanket national waiver allowing...
Some providers dubious as return to pre-COVID ‘normal’ gets official OK
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 07, 2022
Providers are still clamoring for answers about how to best comply with a series of new rules and recommendations issued by federal regulators over the last two weeks, officials acknowledged during a nursing...
CMS clarifies: New flu vaccination reporting rule applies broadly
By
Joe Bush
Oct 07, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Thursday cleared up what officials called confusion about the types of skilled nursing facilities now required to report annual healthcare personnel influenza...
CBO analysis paints pros and cons of telehealth
By
Joe Bush
Oct 06, 2022
The Congressional Budget Office identified telehealth as one of the tools to help reduce prices paid by commercial health insurers in a recently released policy analysis.
Also in the News for Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022
By
Joe Bush
Oct 06, 2022
CMS asks public for input on establishing first national healthcare services and provider directory … Wholesale food company trucker strike worries nursing homes … Nursing home cited for placing...
Arbitration battles loom after Supreme Court inaction, tough new guidance
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 05, 2022
The US Supreme Court this week refused to hear arguments that nursing homes should be able to require pre-dispute arbitration agreements, clearing the way for enforcement of stiff new arbitration rules...
Projected Medicare Advantage growth to bring more provider headaches, more congressional scrutiny
By
Joe Bush
Oct 05, 2022
Several large insurance providers are expanding their Medicare Advantage plans to new states and hundreds more counties, effective in 2023, adding pressure on skilled nursing operators as enrollment booms.
Care Compare promotes selfish provider goals when it comes to admission and retention policies, researchers...
By
Joe Bush
Oct 05, 2022
The system used to rate nursing homes’ quality needs to be given more oversight in order to discourage admission practices providers employ to pump up their ratings, said authors of a research letter...