Significant reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms were seen among nursing home residents who interacted with an AI-driven, voice-based telephone companion. This was especially true among residents whose anxiety and depression baseline was higher than the average resident. The companion, Meela, was designed to reduce loneliness, depression and anxiety among older adults in post-acute and […]
Category: Therapy
‘Befuddling’: CMS MDS Overhaul Could Spike Antipsychotic Use Percentage, Complicate Quality Tracking
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released the Minimum Data Set 3.0 quality measures user’s manual, with notable changes being far more sweeping than many in the sector expected. Two major updates involve the respecification of the long stay antipsychotic measure and a risk adjustor modification to the discharge function score […]
The phenomenon of patients trapped in a “rehabbed to death” cycle is all too prevalent, and it could be disrupted by better access to palliative care and earlier admission into hospice, skilled nursing leaders believe. Their observations come following a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study’s authors proposed that […]
U.S. News and World Report’s nursing home ratings for 2026 expand metrics used for evaluation while also adding data from a greater variety of sources than in the past. Quality indicators nearly doubled, with emphasis placed on staffing across different roles – and the results show a correlation between staffing levels and top-rated facilities. The […]
The proposed Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) recently released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) appears to be a recognition of the need for care for chronic conditions – but that doesn’t mean that the proposal also supports therapy to achieve that goal. Potential measures on nutrition and chronic disease are promising, but […]
Changing regulations and payment models, along with evolving resident preferences and acuity are pushing skilled nursing operators to grow and diversify therapy services in-house or with a partner. Outsourced therapy providers, in particular, have shifted their business model to focus more on clinical specializations and value-added services rather than volume. For providers of in-house therapy, […]
Therapy in nursing homes has been shaped in recent years by the shift to a patient-centered model, with providers pointing to staff shortages, reimbursement changes, and the influence of Medicare Advantage plans as factors making it harder to tailor programs. Certainly, higher expectations from therapy-based clinical outcomes is changing the therapy market landscape, said Brian […]
Last week’s finalized 2.83% cut to the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), which follows a series of payment reductions of recent years for rehab and therapy services for Medicare beneficiaries, is raising concerns about tightening access to such care in nursing homes, with physicians calling the situation unsustainable. For physicians, this particular cut in the PFS […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to further advance its overall value-based care strategy with the finalized 20224 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) – adding ways for medically complex, high-cost beneficiaries like those in nursing homes to participate in Medicare Shared Savings Programs (MSSPs). Additionally, CMS therapy assistants can be more generally […]
Ahead of the upcoming Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes on Oct. 1, the preparation of clinicians is mixed and may have a lot to do with company size and regional market, along with resources to stay apprised of reimbursement updates. Many clinicians feel stressed and overwhelmed by the adjustments, with some playing catchup to the […]
Physical therapists working in long-term care facilities received an average actual* pay increase of 3.7% in the last year, which was greater than the average actual pay increase seen by PTs in hospitals and home health settings. That’s according to the latest Rehabilitation Salary & Benefits Report from Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service, which showed […]
A big question that operators must ask themselves when considering involvement in an institutional special needs plan, or I-SNP, is ultimately wrapped up in how much money is being made on the Medicare Part B therapy side, some say. It might not make financial sense to sign up for an I-SNP if a SNF operator […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to reduce payment for physician services under the fee schedule compared to last year, the federal agency announced late Thursday. The reductions would affect the provision of therapy in nursing homes. Indeed, the proposal represents a “significant cut” that will put nursing home “providers in […]
As resident falls are still a primary source of financial loss for long-term care providers, researchers and tech companies are continuing to develop and improve on tools that predict the risk of falls. The latest offering in clinical tools that predict falls is a risk prediction model aiming to identify residents of nursing homes at […]
Nursing homes will have an opportunity to test out coding prior to Minimum Data Set changes slated for October, and receive pre-recorded video training this spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared in an open door forum Thursday. The videos will deliver foundational knowledge necessary to understand the new items and guidance, […]
Preparations for Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes vary from state to state, raising questions about how Medicaid reimbursements will be determined as the clock ticks down to the Oct. 1 start date. The key issue is the removal of Section G, which is used to measure the functional status of residents, from the nursing home […]
Operators in the nursing home space are dealing with a crippling workforce shortage and rising costs of care – all while seeing continued higher acuity among residents. Providers and vendors in the space agree they’re seeing a larger proportion of patients with higher acuity, but the definition of acuity varies along with methods to measure […]
Over the last two years, skilled nursing providers have faced a pandemic and a labor crisis. As 2023 dawns, leaders across the industry are taking stock of their changed organizations and a reshaped business environment, and are preparing to execute strategies formulated in the COVID crucible. As Signature HealthCARE CEO Joe Steier puts it: “Every […]
As therapy providers in the nursing home setting brace for a 4.47% cut in the Physician Fee Schedule in 2023, Congress may not help bridge the gap as much as in the past. Currently, Congress is toying with a 2% to2.5% boost to help providers dealing with the 4.47% cut, panelists said during a webinar […]
As therapy providers in the nursing home setting, among other health care workers, are expected to absorb a finalized 4.4% cut to the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), those impacted aren’t so sure Congress will help offset the decrease like they’ve done in years past. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized the […]
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