Fighting Medicare fraud is a top priority as the federal government looks to curb abuses and save money in the current fiscal problems facing the U.S and recently announced a victory in that battle. As part of that fight, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged 111 defendants in nine cities, including doctors, nurses, health […]
Category: Medicare & Medicaid
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) recently released its fourth briefing as part of a series examining the current status of assisted living and long-term care to raise awareness and coincide with President Obama’s State of the Union address. The brief reveals that there are almost 1 […]
It’s no secret that foreclosures hurt home values in the neighborhood but how much will the stabilization of home prices help retirement planning? According to a new paper by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, elderly households will be facing increased housing distress during the next two years due to declining home values, […]
Skilled nursing care is an expensive component of long term care and a new report recently released finds that Medicaid programs in states across the country are underfunded nursing facility care by $5.6 billion in 2010. A Report on Shortfalls in Medicaid Funding For Nursing Home Care, authored for the American Health Care Association (AHCA) […]
Healthcare spending is up another 4% in 2009 to $2.5 trillion based upon data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary. The increase of approximately $8,000 per person is the slowest growth rate in the 50-year history of the National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA). The recession has led to […]
Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new requirements for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP) grants to increase beneficiaries’ awareness about certain provisions in the Affordable Care Act. The effort aims to shed light on new Medicare prevention and wellness benefits, fraud initiatives, including how beneficiaries can help with fraud […]
SolAmor Hospice, a subsidiary of Sun Healthcare Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNH), announced that it has completed the acquisition of Countryside Hospice Care, Inc.. Countryside is a privately-held, Medicare-certified hospice company headquartered in Anniston, Alabama, serving 200 hospice patients located in Alabama and Georgia. The transaction expands the company’s hospice services to 10 states serving over […]
The stars are out in California as of January 1st and they aren’t the celebrity kind. California is the first state in the US to mandate the display of its Five Star ratings for over 1200 facilities across the Golden State effective January 1, 2011. The ratings, published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid […]
Uncle Sam wants you….to be healthier by 2020. Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled Healthy People 2020, a 10 year plan with goals and objectives for the promotion of health and disease prevention. The initiative sets national objectives and measurable monitoring yardsticks that will evaluate progress on promotion and […]
Last week, the House and Senate passed bills that will repeal the implementation date expiration of the RUG-IV system and extends Medicare’s Part B therapy caps exception process until 2012. The legislation also will push the 25% cut in physician Medicare reimbursement rates through the end of 2011. Long term care industry groups, members of […]
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