Why nursing homes can exhale — but not get complacent
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 07, 2017
The announced delay of full enforcement of new survey requirements is indeed good news for nursing home operators and all of their compliance officers. Their blood pressure should now lower a few millimeters....
CMS seeks to ease burdens for quality program
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jun 21, 2017
Small and rural providers may find it easier to participate in quality programs under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) following a proposed rule that the Centers for Medicare &...
RCS-1 CMS Case-Mix Rule
By
Renee Kinder
May 04, 2017
There is a new horse in town and it goes by the name of RCS-1.
Antibiotics in LTC: Changing from ‘Just in case’ to ‘Only when needed’
By
Philip D. Sloane, M.D., MPH and Sheryl Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Mar 01, 2017
Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, the most common cause of death was infection. There was no good treatment for pneumonia, complications of urine or ear infections were common, and many people died...
NASL winter conference arrives amid uncertainty
Feb 02, 2017
The 2017 winter legislative and regulatory conference of the National Association for the Support of Long-Term Care takes place Monday through Wednesday in Washington.
What is your vision for PACE expansion and innovation?
By
Jade Gong
Jan 30, 2017
In the final days of the Obama administration, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided a parting gift to the PACE community by issuing a Request for Information seeking stakeholder input on...
Next week’s SNF Open Door Forum rescheduled
Jan 06, 2017
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has decided not to hold a Skilled Nursing Facilities/Long Term Services Open Door Forum conference call in January. The agency announced that it has “rescheduled”...
CMS targets falls, pressure ulcers, other skilled care challenges
By
John O'Connor
Nov 28, 2016
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is pursuing better outcomes in a list of 97 reporting requirement adjustments that could help improve Medicare’s quality and value-based purchasing programs.
Providers get an ‘A’ for submitting PBJ data, officials say
By
Elizabeth Newman
Nov 18, 2016
Around 90% of long-term care providers have submitted electronic staffing data, officials said Thursday.
Cracking new PT and OT evaluation codes
By
Renee Kinder
Nov 17, 2016
January 1 will put new evaluation codes for physical and occupational therapy into effect and we all better be paying close attention.