More than a month after the federal government issued widespread waivers to expand telehealth coverage amid the COVID-19 pandemic, therapists will finally be able to provide remote interventions under Medicare. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Thursday announced that it will allow physical, occupational, and speech therapy practitioners to provide Medicare-covered telehealth […]
The federal government has waived multiple regulations around telehealth with an eye toward making it as easy as possible to stay home and receive medical care. It’s a move that seems well-suited to benefit the Medicare beneficiaries living in skilled nursing facilities across the U.S., who need care while minimizing contact with visitors during the […]
Encore Rehabilitation Services on Friday publicly agreed to pay $4 million to settle federal allegations that the contract rehab provider violated the False Claims Act. The Department of Justice had accused the Farmington Hills, Mich.-based rehab operator of “causing three Michigan skilled nursing facilities to submit false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that […]
While the federal government has taken a hacksaw to the regulations around telehealth services in an attempt to mitigate COVID-19 risks, one group remains largely left out of the push: physical, occupational, and speech therapists. But that could change as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mulls the potential ways it can use […]
Therapy providers were partially included in the federal government’s attempts to waive restrictions on various health providers amid the coronavirus, but some experts say this recent round won’t enable sufficient virtual care for nursing home residents — and also doesn’t decrease the risks therapists are experiencing on the ground amid the pandemic. An expanded telehealth […]
Many therapy teams consider their services essential to nursing home residents — even after the federal government guided the sector to prohibit unnecessary visits to facilities amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. Even with the push to reduce “unessential” services, the government opened the floodgates for nursing facilities to serve overflow patients from hospitals […]
Data from the first quarter of the new Medicare payment model has been generally positive for skilled nursing operators, but it’s important for players in the space to realize that we’re still in the early innings of a change that could take years to sort out fully. Despite the news of per-day payment bumps under […]
A group of 99 U.S. representatives, consisting of both Republicans and Democrats, this week asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for more information about a rule that could have a major impact on nursing home residents who receive therapy services. Under the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, CMS implemented a […]
Early returns for the new Medicare Part A reimbursement system for nursing home operators appear positive, but some industry advocates warn that more Part B pain could be coming over the next few years, both for therapists and skilled nursing providers. And although the exploding senior population represents heavy demand for therapy services, some leaders […]
When the federal government announced the new system for Medicare reimbursement, skilled nursing operators across the country knew it meant a sea change, especially in the area of rehab and therapy. For Avalon Health Care Group, the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) meant that it was time to draw on a national perspective on the coming […]
The new Medicare payment model for nursing homes has brought significant upheaval around therapy provision — an outcome that one prominent CEO in the space says therapy companies should have seen coming sooner. Given all of the warning signs from Washington and Baltimore — dating back to when the federal government was planning on implementing […]
News of therapy layoffs swept through the skilled nursing industry in the weeks after the implementation of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), and a new poll from Skilled Nursing News finds that more than 40% of operators and therapy vendors have made some kind of staffing reductions post-October 1. A little more than 43% of […]
There’s been significant attention focused on the potential for therapy reductions and reimbursement shifts amid the transition to the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) on October 1, but concerns may soon be shifting to another looming therapy change — this time under Medicare Part B. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed […]
Hip replacements form a key pillar of skilled nursing facility referrals, while large structural shifts to home health have eaten into lengths of stay. But whether or not a senior receives SNF care after the surgery may depend largely on where he or she lives. A new study points to patients from higher income neighborhoods […]
Operators that have historically thrown all of their eggs into the therapy basket will fare worse than others under the new Medicare payment model for nursing homes, Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) CEO George Hager said Wednesday — and that includes a subset of his own facilities. “Those providers that maybe pushed therapy, really high-end therapy […]
Prior to the advent of the new Medicare payment model for skilled nursing facilities, Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) CEO George Hager predicted that his company would see expense reductions of 12% — primarily through an increased emphasis on group and concurrent services. So far, at least according to Hager, the company has come through on […]
Stories of therapist layoffs and shifting care strategies rocked the skilled nursing world at the start of this month, when the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) took effect. Now that the industry has logged a full month under the overhauled Medicare payment model, Skilled Nursing News wants to know how your organization has adapted to […]
The first week of the new Medicare payment model for nursing homes has brought stories of rapidly shifting therapy patterns among some providers, and voices from the consulting and advocacy worlds are warning that any sudden movements could cause adverse effects — both immediately and down the road. The advent of the Patient-Driven Payment Model […]
The new Medicare payment model for nursing homes took effect this week with a bang, as therapists across the nation criticized a wave of staffing reductions in the immediate wake of the October 1 start date. Several companies implemented workforce cuts as the federal government shifted to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which moves incentives […]
Just one day after the new Medicare payment model for nursing homes took effect, providers throughout the industry have begun showing signs of changing therapy strategies — and one of the nation’s top operators confirmed the layoff of about 585 rehab employees. A spokesperson for Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) confirmed to SNN that the company […]
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