Lawmakers call for public disclosure of Medicare payments, ask for input on post-acute reforms
By
McKnight's Staff
Jun 20, 2013
The battle against Medicare waste, fraud and abuse heated up on Capitol Hill this week. Lawmakers introduced a bill to make Medicare claims and payments publicly available and asked for provider input...
CMS announces lower minimum request limit for recovery audit contractors
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 09, 2013
Medicare recovery audit contractors (RACs) can request as few as 20 records in a 45-day period from skilled nursing facilities and other providers as of April 15, according to the Centers for Medicare...
Amount of post-acute care accounts for regional differences in Medicare spending, report says
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 26, 2013
Geographic variations in Medicare payments can be largely explained by how much skilled nursing and post-acute care is being used, according to a recently released interim report from the Institute of...
Debate over healthcare spending continues as House, Senate pass budgets
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 25, 2013
Both houses of Congress passed budgets late last week, setting up the next phase of the ongoing debate over healthcare spending.
TODAY’S THE DAY: McKnight’s Online Expo kicks off with session on MDS 3.0 as lawmakers reintroduce...
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 20, 2013
Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) recently reintroduced a bill to ease audit burdens on long-term care providers. Initially put forward in Oct. 2012, the Medicare Audit Improvement...
Senate Democrats’ budget focuses on cost savings through the Affordable Care Act
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 15, 2013
Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) unveiled a proposed budget Wednesday, offering a plan that contrasts with the one offered earlier in the week by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).
Sequester would cost SNFs more than $782 million, hit Florida especially hard, report asserts
By
McKnight's Staff
Feb 28, 2013
Skilled nursing facilities in highly populated states on the East Coast and in the Midwest would be hit hardest by Medicare cuts if sequestration takes effect, according to figures released by the Alliance...
Senate Democrats poised to introduce package to replace sequester cuts
By
McKnight's Staff
Feb 13, 2013
Democrats in the Senate could introduce a bill this week to replace the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester, which is scheduled to take effect March 1. Many long-term care stakeholders have...
Obama recommits to preserving Medicare in coming sequester battle
By
McKnight's Staff
Feb 11, 2013
President Barack Obama reaffirmed his vow to protect Medicare in the fight over sequestration spending cuts last week.
RAC audits: Skilled nursing facilities accounted for miniscule portion of 2011 Medicare overpayments
By
McKnight's Staff
Feb 07, 2013
Skilled nursing facilities accounted for only about $200,000 of $797 million in collected Medicare overpayments in 2011 identified by Recovery Audit Contractors, according to an annual audit report released...