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 […]
Category: Medicare
Although accountable care organizations (ACOs) have never been particularly popular among skilled nursing facilities, timing may be ripe to take on more risk to stay competitive in the market. ACO participation may help operators maintain referrals when so many potential residents are being diverted to home health care, hospice and other tracks along the continuum […]
Several factors continue to push patient care inside the home including health care waivers, patient preference, proposed legislation and an incentive to keep patients out of hospitals during the pandemic, as 32 states now offer hospital care at-home services as of July 27. While the clinical capabilities of in-home care remain limited, some operators are […]
Sicker patients, after less time spent in a hospital, are being diverted from a skilled nursing facility in favor of home care and hospice, according to recent analysis by care coordination software provider CarePort. Discharge trends have resulted in a struggling occupancy rebound for SNFs, Martin said, with referred patients reportedly between 60 and 75% […]
Reimbursement for Medicare Part B therapy services continues to dry up despite government cash infusions, a concerning trend for rehabilitation providers, operators and the associations that represent them. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has suggested about 2% in cuts to Part B physical and occupational therapy rates as part of its 2022 […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late Thursday issued a final rule updating Medicare payment policies — namely a delay to Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) pay rate changes until next year and adjustment of provider pay by 1.2%. This was a decrease for fiscal 2022 compared to the agency’s proposed 1.3% boost in […]
At a time when the patient population is becoming increasingly complex and conversations continue to be had over where clinical care is best provided, ArchCare President and CEO Scott LaRue believes now is the time for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to pick up steam. LaRue has been at the helm […]
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives this week introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen Medicare’s value-based care models and accountable care organizations (ACOs), among other alternative payment models (APMs). Doctors, hospitals and other providers make up an ACO — the group coordinates care for Medicare patients while limiting extraneous services and preventing medical errors. The […]
The federal government has again proposed reductions to Medicare reimbursement for various Part B therapy services as part of its 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. And while the suggested roughly 2% in cuts are measurably lower than reductions floated this time last year, Cynthia Morton, the executive vice president for the National Association […]
Institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs) are seen by some to be the only path forward for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to enter value-based care, however, Brian Fuller, CEO of care coordination company Integrated Care Solutions (ICS), thinks SNFs should get more involved with direct contracting entities (DCEs). A lack of understanding may be preventing them […]
A new report studying nursing home populations during the pandemic shows that four in 10 Medicare recipients in nursing homes had or likely had COVID-19 in 2020. The report additionally found that deaths overall jumped by 32% compared to 2019. The report, conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is part […]
The value-based purchasing (VBP) program for skilled nursing facilities was implemented in 2018 as part of the 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act – and three years later, the program is showing “fundamental design flaws” so significant that eliminating and replacing it is the only option. That’s according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) […]
The ultimate role skilled nursing facilities will play in the post-acute care continuum coming out of COVID-19 remains to be seen. Home-based care utilization has skyrocketed over the past year, partly due to favorable policies out of the Biden administration and shifting referral-source preferences. Meanwhile, most SNF operators continue to battle back from the sudden […]
Many Medicare providers have business structures that are complex, obscuring ownership and control, according to a new report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). That’s a problem because the federal government’s process of enrolling or contracting with them has not caught up. In its June report to Congress, the commission examined the role of […]
While participation in value-based payment models has been historically low among skilled nursing facilities, the industry indirectly benefited from the payment models during the pandemic, according to a study conducted by Duke University’s Margolis Center for Health Policy in May. The John A. Hartford Foundation in New York presented key themes from the report at […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) begins the summer with a new administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. Soon, the skilled nursing industry will begin to see how this new agency leader — who has a history with CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — will shape nursing home policy and regulation. […]
Nursing home operators across multiple states have raised wages for certified nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses, thanks to a combination of union actions, post-pandemic market dynamics and public policy shifts. But with operators still facing acute financial pressures, raising wages is not a simple matter. Larger structural changes are needed to support higher wages […]
A bill to permanently waive the three-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for Medicare coverage of a skilled nursing stay was introduced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, an attempt to make the pandemic-related change stick around long-term. The bipartisan legislation, titled the “Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act,” was sponsored by Reps. Joe Courtney […]
Public policy journal Health Affairs this month reported a modest decline in nursing home staffing levels for the majority of 2020, rather than a drastic shortage in staff suggested by various news reports over the course of the year. Taking data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) system, Health […]
The top officials who will shape the Biden administration’s health policy continue to emerge, as reports indicate that the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been locked in. Biden’s pick, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, was confirmed this week in a 55-44 Senate vote, with five Republicans supporting the confirmation, The New York […]
Subscribe
Receive industry updates and breaking news from SNN.