Three bills that would have increased regulatory oversight of assisted living communities in California, along with creating a more detailed consumer database on every licensed facility in the state, have all failed to advance in the state’s Legislature. Of the 16 bills on the table for California’s Senate Appropriations Committee, only two have made it […]
Category: Legislation
Criminal background checks are woven into the fabric of senior housing employment practices: They ensure caregivers are fit for their positions, and ultimately protect the vulnerable resident population. But changes in the regulatory landscape may require some operators to adjust their hiring procedures. For most senior housing types, operators are required by federal and state […]
The 2015 skilled nursing facility prospective payment system (SNF PPS) will receive a boost in Medicare reimbursement, to the tune of an estimated $750 million in aggregate payments, according to The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rule on Medicare payments for skilled nursing. The 2% Medicare rate increase in reimbursements represents a higher payment update factor […]
The nation’s largest organization of nurses is promoting a campaign to alert the public of the dangers of medical technology. National Nurses United (NNU) has created radio ads, video, social media, rallies and more as part of its “Insist On a Registered Nurse” campaign to encourage the public from coast to coast to take action […]
Legislators are looking to standardize post-acute care assessments and payments with a new bill that would make it easier for policymakers and providers to see whether one care setting is more appropriate for a patient than another. After releasing a draft in March, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees have introduced the […]
As the nation undergoes a changing marijuana regulatory landscape, rife with opposing state and federal statutes, senior living providers are left to determine their own policies on the Schedule 1 drug as it gains approval in more and more states. In Colorado, the first state to make marijuana legal for both medical and recreational purposes, […]
An “overhaul” of assisted living rules in California came closer to reality this week as legislation aimed at senior care reform moved through separate committees Tuesday, according to a report by the San Diego Union-Tribune. The legislation comprises bills known as the RCFE Reform Act of 2014, referring to residential care facilities it intends to […]
The so-called “doc fix” bill passed by Congress on Monday represents a “win” for healthcare providers with meaningful exposure to medicare, especially real estate investment trusts (REITs) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), suggests a recent Jefferies LLC report. The “doc fix” is a temporary solution to curb Medicare spending on physician services under the Sustainable […]
As Medicare margins continue their double-digit residency for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is recommending that Congress mandate a 4% payment reduction to providers starting in 2015, among other policy changes within the post-acute care space. Despite recent reductions to SNF payments, Medicare margins remained high in 2012 at 13.8%, according […]
California assisted living communities have repeatedly made headlines in the last several months for all the wrong reasons, raising the question of whether one state’s regulatory woes could trigger federal oversight for the industry. The short answer: not likely. Assisted living experts say the state’s problems aren’t expected to have broader national implications at this […]
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