Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
A group of senators has requested demographic data on nursing home COVID-19 infections and deaths in nursing homes amid concerns that the disease disproportionately affects communities with higher populations of persons of color. The democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Patty Murray of Washington penned a […]
The lowest average margin for freestanding nursing homes in recent years was recorded in 2018, according to a new report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The total average margin dropped to -0.3% in 2018, which is the first negative overall margin since 1999. Nursing home margins have been on a year-to-year decline, although […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held their public meeting over two days this week at the Ronald Reagan Building, International Trade Center in Washington to discuss multiple topics impacting post-acute care. The meeting agenda included the following: Medicare Advantage encounter data validation and potential uses: ISSUE: During public sessions, Commissioners regularly highlight situations in […]
Research has found that individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have an elevated level of the protein called Abeta 42. Canadian neuroscientist Dr. Patrick McGeer and his wife, Dr. Edith McGeer, created a saliva test that can determine a person’s level of this protein, which according to McGeer and his team appears in the same elevated levels […]
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 […]
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 […]