Enforcement of privacy rules now delayed until March 31
By
John O'Connor
Feb 01, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has pushed back enforcement of two electronic healthcare transaction rules by three months, the agency announced in January. That gives providers until March...
Why are more RAC audits happening? There are trillions of reasons
By
John O'Connor
Sep 10, 2012
Recovery audit contractors are stepping up their efforts to review Medicare billings. This appears to be a classic case of auditors gone wild.
The nursing home survey system is about to get a much closer look
By
John O'Connor
Aug 29, 2014
You had to know this was coming. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that many nursing homes are submitting massaged staffing and quality indicator data to the feds. The alleged reason? So facilities...
Obtaining critical claims data may soon get easier
By
John O'Connor
Jun 05, 2015
The government plans to make new claims data and other resident-care information available to providers and entrepreneurs as never before. Is it too good to be true?
CMS wants to know how you make things better
By
John O'Connor
Jul 06, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may be asking you for help this summer. It might behoove you to sit up and take notice.
Reducing seniors’ drug use, one iPod at a time
By
John O'Connor
Mar 28, 2014
For reasons that are understandable yet hard to countenance, antipsychotic drugs are widely used in nursing homes. Too often over-used, according to government statistics. But it’s beginning to look...
Message from the White House: Don’t trust nursing homes
By
John O'Connor
Mar 08, 2013
Ever wonder how much regard the White House has for long-term care operators? A brief filed last week makes the answer abundantly clear: very little.
Reducing antipsychotics one resident at a time
By
John O'Connor
Dec 02, 2013
Like many bad habits, the overuse of antipsychotics is not going down without a fight. Still, there are reasons for long-term optimism.
Why the survey system may never be fixed
By
John O'Connor
Sep 05, 2014
Given certain realities about skilled-nursing facility inspections, we should not be wondering why cheating has occurred. Rather, we should be amazed it hasn’t been more rampant.
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.