When the Medicare payment system for skilled nursing facilities was overhauled in 2019, one of the most anticipated provisions was the option to provide therapy to residents in group or concurrent settings — allowing for more socialization and cost savings. That provision got about four months of practice before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world […]
As the calendar turns, the post-acute and long-term health care space looks to apply the punishing lessons learned during the pandemic year of 2020. Every January, SNN rings in the new year by asking top executives from all areas of the landscape — from operators to real estate investors to therapy partners — for their […]
The infectious nature of COVID-19 makes it imperative that skilled nursing facilities take extra precautions around any new admissions that they bring in, as well as any residents that are returning from a hospital stay. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the procedure for SNFs is straightforward: Keep any COVID-19-positive patients […]
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 […]
Just three months after the nursing home world saw a new Medicare payment model take effect, the home health industry dealt with its own sea change: the Patient-Driven Groupings Model. For most SNFs, the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) is top of mind, as they work out the new system for their own Medicare reimbursement change. […]
A proposed paperwork change could have a major impact on nursing homes’ ability to bill for Medicaid services. The decision to eliminate Section G from the Minimum Data Set (MDS), a move by the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) set for October 1, is being met with apprehension and confusion in the industry […]
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 […]
The long wait is over: The new Medicare payment system for nursing homes has arrived. October 1 marks the official start of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), just about 18 months after the federal government first announced the change in April 2018. Since then, the skilled nursing industry has trained a laser focus on preparations […]
As skilled nursing facilities navigate thin margins, payer pressure on patient length of stay and reimbursement shortfalls, the resulting financial headaches can have ripple effects for their partners. Vendors such as food service or pharmacy companies can be particularly vulnerable to a SNF’s financial struggles. But for third-party rehab companies, a tumultuous SNF world – […]
The skilled nursing industry has — with good reason — thrown much of its energy and focus onto the challenges of the Medicare reimbursement overhaul taking effect on October 1 of this year. But according to one prominent industry leader, the challenges of Medicaid pose a far greater threat to providers — particularly as the […]
With therapy minutes no longer driving reimbursement under the new Medicare reimbursement system taking effect on October 1, the relationship between skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation companies is undergoing a significant metamorphosis. But the change runs deeper than the shift in revenue streams. The new system will drive new models of care and move. interactions […]
On paper, the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) will only affect one pillar of the payment equation for skilled nursing facilities. But as players start to unpack the coming rule changes, PDPM’s reach begins to extend far beyond Medicare. Medicare Advantage and Medicaid frequently base rate calculations on the existing Medicare structure, a pair of experts […]
The 4th episode of our podcast, Rethink, is now available! By making patient condition and characteristics the driver of reimbursement — instead of the number of therapy minutes provided to a resident — the Patient-Driven Payment Model coming in October has changed the game for rehabilitation and skilled nursing providers alike. And Aegis Therapies, which […]
In the lead-up to Christmas and New Year’s, the Skilled Nursing News team took a shot at predicting what 2019 will have in store for the industry over the coming 12 months. Now that the ball has dropped and we’re all back at our desks, we thought it was the perfect time to ask a […]
The new Medicare payment model for skilled nursing facilities upends the old system of rehabilitation minutes driving reimbursement. With the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) scheduled for implementation on Oct. 1, 2019 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), SNFs and therapy providers alike are scrambling to catch up and prepare. In this changing landscape, […]
The new skilled nursing payment system set to take effect in October of next year includes a 25% cap on group and concurrent therapy services, a limit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) argued is needed to ensure patients receive the therapy best suited to their needs and goals. That limit, enshrined in […]