Nursing home leaders from across the nation, including the largest advocacy groups for the sector, plan to oversee efforts in 2024 to increase funding – both from the federal government and through improved revenue streams as operating pressures ease slightly. At the center of these efforts is an attempt at influencing the political will and […]
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 […]
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 […]
This article is sponsored by Aegis Therapies. This article is based on a Skilled Nursing News virtual presentation with Patricia Wike, National Director of Continuing Care, Dawn Greaves, Chief Clinical and Innovation Officer, and Brian Boekhout, Vice President of Wellness Services, at Aegis Therapies in October 2022. The article below has been edited for length […]
Recruiting and retaining a skilled, motivated workforce continues to be one of the most vexing issues facing the industry, especially as competition has extended far beyond the nursing home down the street. There is no one “silver bullet” to solve the workforce crisis and staffing solutions are often market specific, industry leaders say. Indiana-based Majestic […]
Providers are staring down yet another slash to their bottom lines as the federal government last week proposed reductions to Medicare reimbursement for various Part B therapy services. Early assessments of the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule have found that cuts could fall between 4 to 4.5%, according to Mark Besch, senior specialist […]
Therapy providers in the skilled nursing space have been forced to adapt. The sector has already seen a hindrance in access to care following cuts made earlier this year to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). Specifically, Medicare Part B physical and occupational therapy rates took a 15% hit […]
Nursing home residents, staff and company leadership in the physical therapy space are already seeing a bottleneck in access to care, driven by cuts to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) that went into effect three months ago. One significant cut among Medicare Part B physical and occupational therapy […]
Nursing home occupancy recovery rates will be market and operator specific in 2022 and beyond, with COVID-19 still steering industry expectations and resident choices. Still, more than half of nursing home industry leaders believe occupancy levels will improve in the next 12 months for both long-term and short-term care – 53.6% and 52.8%, respectively, according […]
Nursing homes have long been seen as the place where elderly Medicare and Medicaid patients spend their final years, but as these institutions look to evolve post-COVID, their role in the long-term care continuum continues to expand. Over the course of the year, SNN has seen operators open in-house dialysis units, renovate their facilities for […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday finalized its Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), confirming a 1% cut to Medicare Part B physical and occupational therapy rates, down from the proposed 2% in July, and a 15% cut for services provided by therapy assistants. CMS specified the 15% cut […]
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 […]
Providing therapy to patients in a skilled nursing setting is the definition of a hands-on task. The nature of that task did not change over the course of the COVID-19 crisis, which forced a slew of occupations to pivot to virtual formats. While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued widespread waivers for […]
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 […]
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