Behavioral health has become an attractive — and sorely needed — service line for skilled nursing facilities, but operators often don’t have the resources for training, and reimbursements aren’t as good as serving higher acuity patients. Isolation tied to the pandemic, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “crusade” several years ago to […]
Category: Medicare
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is in the “rulemaking” stage of its development of a federal vaccine mandate for all health care workers employed by Medicare or Medicaid funded facilities, according to a CMS official. Dr. Lee Fleisher, CMS’ chief medical officer and director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality […]
With Medicare Advantage revenue “significantly lower” than fee-for-service reimbursement, a new Zimmet Healthcare Services Group analysis says, skilled nursing facilities need to weather today’s “reimbursement storm” in order to make it to the incoming wave of baby boomers that will need facility services. In the meantime, Zimmet suggests operators utilize facility data to improve MA […]
The need to consider offering at-home services may be accelerating for nursing home operators as the Choose Home Care Act of 2021 was introduced in the House of Representatives on Friday. The bill was first introduced in July in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Todd Young (R-IN). A bipartisan effort, the […]
Of the two million patients admitted to nursing homes every year, an anticipated 35% could be diverted to home health care if the Choose Home Care Act of 2021 becomes law, according to Keith Myers, chairman and CEO of LHC Group. Myers, along with Visiting Nurse Health System CEO Dorothy Davis, spoke about the legislation […]
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave the green light to a federal regulation that allows nursing homes to use arbitration agreements with residents, but prevents them from making the agreements a prerequisite for admission. The court’s opinion, issued Friday by a three-judge panel, rejected arguments made by a group of nursing homes who […]
The delta variant and staffing challenges have slowed occupancy gains over the summer, yet skilled nursing still saw an increase in occupancy for the sixth month in a row as of July. NIC MAP® Data, released by NIC MAP Vision, found occupancy increased 58 basis points from June to July to land at 75%. It’s […]
The cost of providing long-term care services has increased faster than the rate of inflation since 2004, according to a report issued this month by the Bipartisan Policy Center, with the annual costs ranging from $19,240 for adult day health care to $105,850 for a private room in a nursing home. Cost increases — which […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has made headway separating metrics changes in the past year-and-a-half, tying some to the pandemic and others to implementation of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM). John Kane, technical advisor and SNF payment team lead for CMS, helped the skilled nursing industry better understand the impacts of PDPM […]
Roughly 94% of Medicare beneficiaries want to receive post-acute care in the home rather than a skilled nursing facility, according to results of a Morning Consult poll released today. The poll was conducted on behalf of the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH), along with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). That’s […]
Although nursing home operators have gotten a bit of a respite with the federal vaccine mandate expansion announced on Thursday, some say that doesn’t deter their efforts to educate staff and get as many vaccinated as possible prior to the federal government releasing further guidance in October. The Biden administration mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for […]
Value-based care management company AllyAlign Health last week announced it will offer two new co-branded Medicare Advantage plans to members of LeadingAge California, thanks to a partnership with the senior advocacy state group. The plans — institutional equivalent special needs plan (I-SNP) Align Thrive, and chronic conditions special needs plan (C-SNP) Align Connect — will […]
There’s a strong possibility that Medicare will move to mandate value-based payment models (VBP) for the nursing home industry in the years to come, according to industry executives. Dr. René Lerer and Brian Cloch, CEOs for Longevity Health Plan and Transitional Care Management, respectively, spoke at a panel on the future of VBP models during […]
Occupancy continued to grow through the month of June for nursing homes — five months in a row — according to NIC MAP data released Thursday by NIC MAP Vision. That’s 297 basis points up from the industry’s low of 71.2% in January. June’s occupancy percentage was 74.2%. Investors are optimistic for the future of […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ regulation requiring staff vaccination for Medicare and Medicaid participating long-term care facilities is expected in late September, and officials say it is aimed at leveling the playing field. “We know that there have been concerns about staff leaving based on the vaccine requirement, and we believe that this […]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure noted higher participation in value-based payment models like Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs) during a recent discussion with HealthAffairs, but also hinted that consolidation of such programs may be needed. “Too many models in too many places that aren’t coordinated with each other,” is how […]
Following the Biden administration’s announcement that all nursing home staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding, operators and senior living organization leaders fear singling out one group of health care workers will only exacerbate a continued staffing crisis. Some state mandates, on the other hand, call on all health […]
When the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would delay adjustments to the Payment-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) until next year, some in the skilled nursing industry felt they were getting some breathing room. But Marc Zimmet, president of consulting firm Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, said he believes that delaying the inevitable […]
Out of thousands of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) across the country, Medicare spent nearly $28 billion in 2019 on short-term care for 1.5 million beneficiaries, but in a study released this week, The U.S. Government Accountability Office argues that SNF hospital readmission rates are higher than they should be due to staffing challenges. It noted […]
Occupancy is still increasing month to month, but at a slower pace compared to earlier this year, according to a new data analysis from the data service affiliated with the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). From April to May the NIC MAP Vision report found occupancy rose 23 basis points to […]
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