As assisted living regulations evolve and tighten, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements fluctuate, and healthcare reform begins to take effect, many states are facing their own challenges as they continue to develop, operate, and implement new rules and programs. Here is a collection of long-term care related stories from across the nation. From the Times-News—North Carolina […]
CMS
Two recent cases of people defrauding Medicare out of millions of dollars have prompted renewed discussion on the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) efforts toward health care fraud prevention during a recent Chicago summit cohosted by HHS and the Department of Justice. In fiscal year 2011, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced 23 new participating organizations in its Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP) on Wednesday, March 14, at least three of which will be partnering with skilled nursing facilities. The program seeks to prevent hospital readmission for Medicare patients who are transitioning into post-care settings such as nursing […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Thursday the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents, meant to improve care for Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries in nursing facilities. The new initiative aims to reduce costly and avoidable hospitalizations of nursing facility residents by funding organizations that would partner with the […]
There needs to be improved oversight of a new system that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is creating to monitor quality standards in nursing homes, according to a Government Accountability Office report on nursing home quality control. The report, “Nursing Home Quality: CMS Should Improve Efforts to Monitor Implementation of the Quality […]
There was widespread uproar in the skilled nursing industry last summer when the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) announced an upcoming cut to Medicare reimbursement rates. The cuts have been in effect for a full quarter now, and it looks the industry is still hanging on—for now. REITs: Less Impacted Than Expected HCP, […]
Technology, both for senior care and in general, is increasingly being recognized for its ability to make healthcare more accessible and efficient. This is evidenced by a study suggesting the viability of mobile health technology, and the fact that the Department of Health and Human Services just hired its first Chief Technology Officer, who will […]
It’s possible that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will soon be implementing a common pay system for post-acute care providers, including skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, long-term care hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities. Because similar patients can be treated in more than one provider setting, having a common evaluation and payment […]
Even after steep cuts to skilled nursing facility reimbursements that went into effect last October, President Obama’s 2013 Federal Budget calls for still more Medicare payment and reimbursement reductions, causing associations representing the skilled nursing and home healthcare industries to blast back against the Administration’s strategy of “cuts only” without reforms. The budget report proposes […]
Each year, U.S. News and World Report releases its list of “Best Nursing Homes,” determined by quarterly ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and it also issues an Honor Roll which consists this year of 39 nursing homes that earned the highest possible ratings in all four quarters of 2011. Notably, […]