Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The Department of Health and Human Services has extended the Public Health Emergency (PHE) due to COVID-19 for an additional 90 days. The PHE has been renewed on a quarterly bases since it was first implemented in January 2020. The latest renewal will take the PHE into mid-summer, with a new end date on July […]
Despite a decrease in hospital discharges to skilled nursing facilities in 2020, the rate of discharges to home health remained largely unchanged. That was one of the results shared in the 2021 Home Health Chartbook, released Nov. 10, 2021, by the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation and the National Association for Home Care […]
A final rule updating Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities under the SNF prospective payment system (PPS) for FY 2022 was released July 29 by CMS. The final rule includes updates on both the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and the SNF Value-Based Program (VBP) for FY 2022. The final rule also […]
CMS unveiled new quality measures under consideration for nursing homes shortly before Christmas. While some previously implemented measures have been updated, there are several new measures focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, and vaccinations in healthcare settings. The new measures under consideration, as outlined by CMS, include: Five outcome measures (measures that focus on the results […]
Ralph Peterson joins us today to discuss how to effectively manage staff in a crisis. Ralph is the owner and operator of a management development company that helps mission-driven organizations dramatically increase profitability, improve efficiency and grow their companies by building Five-Star leadership teams. Listen on SoundCloud Listen on iTunes Connect Listen on Spotify
The following is an excerpt from the 2017 book SNF Risk Management through Person-Centered Care by Carol Marshall, MA, available for purchase here. The long-term care industry learned a valuable lesson from the hotel industry: Treat residents as guests. Long gone are the days of the “old-folks home” in place when my great-great-grandmother needed longterm […]
It’s official: According to CMS’ Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule published in the Federal Register yesterday evening, the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM)—the new case-mix methodology to replace RUG-IV)—is effective October 1, 2018. Facilities will have a year to transition to PDPM from RUG-IV by the October 1, 2019 implementation date. […]
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 […]
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 […]
This article has been republished with permission from the author, Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News. For years, confusion has surrounded the conditions under which older adults can receive physical, occupational and speech therapy covered by Medicare. Services have been terminated for some seniors, such as those with severe cases of multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, […]