After one year, quality benchmarks may be up, but cost savings are not—and nine ACOs have decided to leave the Pioneer ACO program, CMS announced today. Read More »
More than 280 public health experts put their heads together to come up with 30 ways to promote cognitive functioning and address impairment. A new report contains advice for those working with or caring for those with dementia. Read More »
A new payment proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could impact the reimbursements for long-term care hospitals, post-acute care and rehab facilities. Read More »
There’s a brand-new imaging test available to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s so expensive that CMS is limiting the Medicare coverage of the test to two circumstances. Read More »
New CMS guidelines take a deeper look at discharge planning, clarifying who is responsible for what at the time of discharge and why discharge planning is a key to reducing 30-day readmissions. Read More »
CMS’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announces a significantly smaller and more-focused project list for Round Two of the funding awards. Read More »
Marilyn Tavenner has obtained a vote of confidence from a Senate committee in her bid to become the first confirmed administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in seven years. Read More »
This summer will be a busy one as Congress deliberates the 2014 budget and how, without revisions, its proposed cuts to Medicare may affect the physicians, hospitals and long-term care providers. Read More »
President Obama's new budget, released by the White House Wednesday, includes plenty of cuts, but also contains a few surprising increases. Read More »
A new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services document clarifies what tasks physicians may delegate to nurses within nursing homes serving Medicare and Medicaid residents. Read More »
Senior Editor Pamela Tabar talks with Ruta Kadonoff, vice president of quality and regulatory affairs for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), about quality in long-term care—and why being able to measure it will be important for business. Read More »
The waiting is over. No resolution to the budget crisis means that sequestration begins—today. Long-term care facilities will feel the effects upfront, but a quieter casuality might be healthcare's information technology and data-sharing initiatives. Read More »
Sweeping changes may be on the horizon for the way Medicare billing is divided, as President Obama and Republicans put the idea of combining Medicare Parts A and B back on the discussion table, the New York Times reports today. Read More »
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) got a tongue-lashing from the Senate Finance Committee, while CMMI’s director explains that testing new models takes time before payment reforms can be put into action. Read More »
Skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies face payment reductions, but hospices and long-term care hospitals get a first-round bye in MedPAC's latest Medicare payment recommendations to Congress. Read More »
Nursing home consumers—residents and their families—say the survey process has flaws that need to be addressed, according to a new report from the Coalition for Quality Care. Read More »
New data on hospital readmission shows that healthcare reform is making an impact--changing the rates for the first time in five years, says CMS. Read More »
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the country's third-largest health benefits purchaser, dropped a bombshell on its long-term care policyholders—switch LTC policies or deal with a massive rate increase. Read More »
A new report from the Office of Inspector General accuses skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) of misusing their Medicare payments, since more than one-third of SNFs don’t fulfill—or even create—the care plans and discharge goals required for their residents. Read More »
Widely recognized by his bushy beard and somber uniform, former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop became a household name for his anti-smoking campaign. Read More »
How many of your residents are on track to exceed the $1,900 payment cap on physical or occupational therapies? We examine the current therapy cap situation, and why it's such a challenge for long-term and post-acute care. Read More »
Florida’s governor, once one of the loudest voices against “ObamaCare,” has done a policy about-face and now supports limited Medicaid expansion in the state. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released its proposals for rate and payment changes for 2014. Seniors may be happy about the Part D drug changes, but insurers aren't as pleased with their end of deal. Read More »
