Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
In a memo addressed to State Survey Agency Directors on March 16, CMS announced their collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to create an online training course in infection control and prevention for long-term care staff. This free course will be available in Spring 2019 and is intended to provide specialized training in […]
To satisfy requirements of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), CMS has contracted with RTI International and Abt Associates to develop quality measures for the transfer of health information and care preferences domain that may be used in post-acute care settings such as skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehab facilities, long-term […]
In an MLN Matters article dated March 16, 2018, CMS instructed providers to make sure their billing staff are aware of changes made to Medicare manuals. CMS stated that these updates to the Medicare manuals are intended only to clarify the existing content and to correct various omissions and minor technical errors. No policy, processing […]
If Collaboration isn’t on the tip of your staff’s tongue, it should be. On Wednesday, April 11, 12-3pm, ET, industry experts and seasoned long-term care providers Liz Barlow, BSN, RN, CRRN, RAC-CT, DNS-CT and Renee Kinder, MS, CCC-SLP, RAC-C invite your nursing and therapy staff to participate in a virtual, interactive training workshop that will […]
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved Shingrix, a Shingles vaccine found to be more effective than Zostavax. All of CVS’ pharmacy locations now carry the vaccine, with the exception of those located in Florida, due to state regulations. Shingrix is covered by many insurers and it is the recommended vaccine for adults over […]
CMS will host a Special Open Door Forum to give providers an opportunity to ask questions about the New Medicare Card Project on Tuesday, March 20 from 2:00pm-3:00pm, ET. Providers are encouraged to use this call to get answers to questions and get prepared to accept the new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier starting April 1, 2018. […]
During the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) public meeting on Thursday, March 1, analyst Evan Christman reviewed options for modifying Medicare’s hospital discharge rules to encourage beneficiaries to use higher-quality PAC providers. Christman pointed out that Medicare assigns responsibility for discharge planning to the hospital, and while part of this responsibility includes providing the beneficiary […]
CMS’ upcoming IMPACT Act Special Open Door Forum (SODF) on Wednesday, March 28, 2:00pm-3:00pm, ET, will provide information and solicit feedback pertaining to development and testing of Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements as mandated by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (the IMPACT Act). This SODF will provide an update on the national […]
SNF providers are on the edge of their seats as they anticipate CMS’ consideration of a replacement for the Resource Utilization Group (RUG) system, which will change the way facilities are reimbursed for SNF Medicare Part A residents beginning as early as FY2019. The Resident Classification System, Version 1 (RCS-1) will be the most significant […]
In the past, Medicare contractors have been allowed to deny a claim for inpatient rehab if the required three-hour minimum of direct care mark was missed by mere minutes, even if the additional minutes were made up on a subsequent day. Now, however, due to new guidance released by CMS, this denial trend could change. […]