CMS promises ICD-10 software six months in advance
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 04, 2014
Providers will receive needed coding and billing software six months before the ICD-10 transition date, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced. This is double the lead time that providers...
Also in the news for Nov. 4, 2014 . . .
Nov 04, 2014
Health center owner fined $43 million in nursing home patient recruiting scam … CMS defines “one-on-one” provider training … Men shorter than five-foot-five are 50% more likely...
Also in the news for Oct. 31, 2014 . . .
Oct 31, 2014
Minnix hopes White House aging conference will spur ‘huge shift’ … CMS finalizes home health payment reductions … Dementia is now No. 1 killer of women in England
Also in the news for Oct. 30, 2014 . . .
Oct 30, 2014
CMS offers hospitals more flexibility to settle disputed inpatient claims … Nursing homes interested in new secondhand smoke detector, Dartmouth researchers say … Australian researchers announce...
CMS expands therapy payment research
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 22, 2014
The government is expanding its research into alternative therapy payments, to consider more holistic changes to the way Medicare reimburses skilled nursing facilities, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
CMS: Nurse shortage means hospices can keep using contracted workers
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 08, 2014
Hospices can continue to rely on contract nurses because an ongoing nurse shortage is preventing providers from meeting their staffing needs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in a...
Hospice billings changed
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 01, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently updated instructions on coding hospice claims. Billing staffs should be aware of these changes, which went into effect Oct. 1, CMS stated in a memorandum...
SNF, CCRC spending expected to rise 69%
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 01, 2014
Spending on nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities is expected to roughly keep pace with total U.S. healthcare spending during the next decade, according to the annual “National...
Lawmakers demand answers about rating system quirks
By
John O'Connor
Oct 01, 2014
After The New York Times noted that providers are apparently gaming the Five Star rating system by enhancing staffing and quality data, federal lawmakers quickly put an indignant pen to paper.
Reporting neglected, OIG says
By
John O'Connor
Oct 01, 2014
Slightly more than half of the nation’s nursing facilities reported abuse or neglect allegations as required in 2012, a new report from the Office of Inspector General alleges. Such relatively low...