The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should not implement the proposed nursing home staffing mandate for numerous reasons, including that “numerical staffing staffing thresholds are not consistent with the modern clinical practice.” That’s according to the American Hospital Association (AHA), which commented on the proposed mandate on behalf of its nearly 5,000 member […]
American Hospital Association
Hospital discharge to skilled nursing facilities can benefit from certain protocols that are currently missing when patients make this transition between care settings, according to a new study. While the complexity of care transitions between nursing homes and hospitals is well known, investments in programs like Age Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) have become key to […]
As hospital advocates criticize low reimbursements to nursing homes and home health, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is bearing down on hospitals to revamp their discharge process when releasing patients to SNFs. Citing areas of concern related to missing or inaccurate patient information upon discharge, CMS is requiring that hospitals have an […]
As a federal minimum staffing standard looms over the nursing home industry, operators and their advocacy organizations look to learn from existing state mandates to better understand how things will play out on a national stage. New York is providing a cautionary tale at the moment, with a mandate exacerbating access to care, industry professionals […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) unanimously voted Thursday to approve its recommendation for a 3% Medicare payment cut for skilled nursing providers in 2024. This move follows the Commission’s draft recommendation discussed during a meeting on Dec. 9. Despite the proposal for a rate cut, MedPAC commissioners have noted that the industry is facing […]
With referrals to nursing homes under pressure, thanks to a bottleneck in part caused by the ongoing staffing crisis, hospitals are urging more support for post-acute providers. The American Hospital Association (AHA), for one, has called for “law updates” when it comes to hospital-based skilled nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). AHA on Tuesday […]
As the nursing home workforce crisis continues to have far-reaching consequences for settings along the care continuum, associations outside of long-term care are adding their support for more permanent solutions. The American Hospital Association (AHA), for one, is the latest to throw its weight behind the Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act, a bill that […]
Continued federal and state movement toward more patient-driven care has had a ripple effect across the care continuum, in a lot of ways changing relationships between health care sectors that are normally siloed. Nursing homes and hospital systems are no exception, with the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) prompting relationship building efforts on both ends. Communication […]
The draft version of a unified Medicare payment model for post-acute care contains “numerous fundamental flaws.” That’s according to a statement issued late last week by the American Hospital Association (AHA). Among those flaws, AHA cited the lack of a workable risk adjustment approach and missing reforms outlined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]
Industry leaders, including nursing home executives, believe margins will increase between 1% and 5% in the next six months, thanks to an easing pandemic and occupancy recovery. Only 5% of long-term care leaders expect their margins to decrease during that time, according to the latest National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) executive […]
Genesis HealthCare has implemented a “universal” COVID-19 vaccination requirement for its employees, care partners and onsite vendors, the post-acute care provider announced Tuesday. The policy requires that individuals have a single dose of the Janssen vaccine or the first dose of a two-dose mRNA vaccine by Aug. 23. The second dose, if applicable, would be […]
Senior care advocacy group LeadingAge on Monday became the latest organization to call for vaccine mandates among long-term care providers, encouraging its members to make the shots a condition of employment. The push comes as COVID-19 cases rise, linked to the delta variant and lagging vaccination rates among nursing home workers. Roughly 83% of new […]
House Democrats on Tuesday introduced a major aid package with a provision that would indefinitely delay the implementation of a controversial rule that imperiled billions in Medicaid funding for skilled nursing facilities. The bill also would boost the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), or Washington’s share of state Medicaid rates, by 14% — up from […]
A federal push to reform programs that nursing home operators use to boost Medicaid reimbursement rates could potentially lead to a $50 billion cut in total annual funding — but a separate Medicaid crackdown appears to have spared the long-term care industry, at least for the time being. The leaders of two major trade groups […]
A recommendation from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to overhaul the payment system for post-acute care has drawn criticism from the world’s largest hospital association. Last June, MedPAC recommended a new prospective payment system (PPS) prototype that would move away from the current fee-for-service (FFS) system. Adopting a unified PPS and redistributing payments across post-acute […]
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