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 […]
Category: Therapy
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 […]
Faced with a sea change in the Medicare reimbursement system for nursing homes, operators have spent the last year asking a key question about their therapy offerings: outsource or in-house? And if the answer is outsource, what will that relationship look like moving forward in unfamiliar payment landscape? There’s no one correct answer for contract […]
As providers continue to stare down the October 1 implementation of a new Medicare payment model for nursing homes, specialization remains at the top of many operators’ to-do lists — with respiratory therapy potentially emerging as a key revenue source. Because the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) matches reimbursements with resident acuity, operators have looked to […]
In the competitive world of short-term rehab, success depends on both who and what you know — and, by extension, how you tell your individual building’s story to the people whose opinions matter the most. The Medicare-focused building has been hailed as the future of skilled nursing and questioned as a difficult-to-achieve pipe dream, but […]
At surface level, the new Medicare payment model for nursing homes revolves largely around therapy, as the federal government works to realign incentives and prevent what officials claim to be a wave of unnecessary services. Speech, occupational, and physical therapy account for three of the five components of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), and providers […]
Therapy has taken center stage in the run-up to the new Medicare payment model for skilled nursing facilities, but a growing chorus has begun to frame the change as a return to the primacy of nurses in nursing homes — with a leading provider planning on adding 600 of them to meet the new priorities […]
Starting October 1, skilled nursing facility operators will have no choice but to become proficient with a specific type of medical coding that previously had no bearing on reimbursements — and leading industry voices say there are multiple paths to getting there. ICD-10 codes, specific diagnosis identifications long used by hospitals, will play a key […]
As skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation providers across the U.S. prepare for the changes to Medicare payments coming in October, they have to make sure they don’t get sidetracked by a slew of misconceptions about what’s coming. That’s according to a Tuesday webinar by clinical management software provider Optima Healthcare Solutions, held in conjunction with […]
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