Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The following was written by Reg Hislop for Reg’s Blog. Reposted with permission. . The SNF proposed rule is best characterized as mostly good news. The best news is the proposed market-basket (rate inflation) update of 3%. Subtracting the productivity factor of .5% from the update, SNFs will see a rate increase of 2.5% starting […]
This Q&A comes from HCPro’s webinar led by postacute regulatory specialist Stefanie Corbett, DHA, that aired on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Purchase the on-demand version. Q: Our facility is subacute with a majority population of residents who are in a vegetative state. Can you please provide an example of meeting the trauma portion requirements? A: […]
Recent measles outbreaks in the United States are a grim reminder that infection control is crucial for post-acute providers. Twenty-two states have seen outbreaks of rubella in recent months, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disease had been considered eradicated in 2000, and anti-vaccination sentiments are thought to have […]
On Monday, May 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted the MDS 3.0 RAI Manual, v1.17, containing many of the requirements that providers will need to follow to prepare for the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) effective October 1, 2019. New changes will be reflected in HCPro’s MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual. The […]
On Friday, December 28, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the “Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP): Managing Threats and Protecting Patients” publication. The four-volume publication aims to provide voluntary cybersecurity practices to healthcare organizations of all types and sizes, ranging from local clinics to large hospital systems. The industry-led effort was in […]
The EPA published its final rule, Management Standards for Hazardous Pharmaceuticals, earlier this year—giving healthcare facilities, including long-term care facilities, just a handful of months to comply with the rule, which goes into effect August 21, 2019. In the final rule, the EPA has revised its definition of a long-term care facility (LTCF) to be […]
Staffing data from Jan 1 through March 31 must be submitted no later than 45 days from the end of the quarter. The final submission deadline for this quarter is May 15, 2019. On a SNF open door forum held earlier this week, officials instructed facilities to review their monthly provider preview reports in their […]
A proposed rule, titled Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Payment and Policy Changes for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facilities (CMS-1718-P), was published in the Federal Register on April 25. Here are ten things you need to know.
In a blog post dated April 15, 2019, CMS announced plans for strengthened oversight of state surveyor agencies’ (SSA) performance during nursing home surveys to reduce variation across SSA guidance. This includes “updating Nursing Home Compare to make it easier for consumers to identify specific instances of non-compliance related to abuse or inappropriate antipsychotic medication […]
CMS announced April 2019 updates to the Nursing Home Compare website and Five-Star Quality Rating System, including a change to staffing rating thresholds, with the staffing level required to receive a 5-star rating determined based on analyses of the relationship between staffing levels and measures of nursing home quality. The Technical User’s Guide states that, […]