Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a proposed rule that would update the payment rates used under the prospective payment system (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for 2014. This rule also includes a proposed new item for the MDS Version 3.0. CMS will add MDS item O0420 Distinct Calendar Days […]
On Wednesday, CMS issued a proposed rule that would increase incentives for people to report information that leads to a recovery of funds from individuals and entities that have or are engaged in Medicare fraud and abuse. This proposed rule would also improve CMS’ ability to detect new fraud schemes, and help ensure that fraudulent […]
Q: A resident in a SNF has not used her Medicare benefit since 2005. She was receiving rehab therapy 5x week prior to qualifying for a hospital stay. Are we allowed to skill her upon re-admission? A: Your question cannot be answered without more information. Did the beneficiary ever go 60 days without receiving skilled […]
On March 15, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its annual report to Congress. In the report, MedPAC addresses the SNF PPS in Chapter 8. MedPAC states that most indicators of payment adequacy for SNFs are positive. Here are some findings published in the report: Access to SNF services remains stable for most beneficiaries. […]
Q: I have always been instructed that if someone changes skilled payers, such as from a Medicare Advantage Plan to regular Medicare Part A, that the PPS schedule has to be restarted. Someone asked me where to find the documentation for this, and I am having difficulty locating this. Can you please give me some […]
Provisions contained in American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), known colloquially as the fiscal cliff deal, will further reduce Medicare payments for skilled nursing facility (SNF) care, according to a press release from The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (AQNHC). An analysis from Avalere Health shows that by extrapolating from the Congressional Budget Office estimate […]