Rates are rising by 1.7% for nursing home payment rates according to a recent announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that will increase Medicare payments to nursing homes by an estimated $542 million during fiscal 2011.
The updates reflect the use of a market basket index reflecting changes in the prices of goods and services used to furnish covered care in nursing homes and the adjustments yield a positive increase of 1.7% for 2011.
“CMS is committed to ensuring that beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities continue to receive high quality care while paying those facilities appropriately for that care,” said Jonathan Blum CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare. “The payment rates for the coming year that we are announcing today reflect that goal.”
