Ohio is the latest state to launch a pay-for-quality program for skilled nursing reimbursement. But with 10 percent of reimbursement riding on passing the quality program, is the test tough enough? Read More »
As Medicare and Medicaid programs grow, the insurance market is spending billions to get a larger slice of the government-backed healthcare markets. Read More »
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid's requested extension for the ICD-10 transition hasn’t been made official yet, but providers shouldn’t waste any time continuing their planning. Read More »
As reimbursement becomes increasingly tied to clinical quality and performance, Ohio joins the list of states that are trying a bigger carrot instead of the stick. Read More »
Home healthcare agencies are the focus of $5 million in suspect Medicare claims, according to this week's report from the Office of Inspector General. Read More »
The unfortunate overlap of multiple payment-reduction laws and regulations could add up to $65 billion less for skilled nursing home budgets over the next 10 years, according to nationwide data released today. Read More »
As states debate whether to adopt Medicaid expansion or not, the latest public health study from Harvard suggests expansion might be a healthy idea. Read More »
CMS will increase prospective payment system pay rates to skilled nursing facilities by almost 2 percent, based on its yearly rate adjustment report. Read More »
The Department of Health & Human Services has released the LTC chapter in the national plan to reduce infections: C. difficile and urinary tract infections are the first of many high-priority targets. Read More »
A low-premium, high-deductible health plan used to be viewed as "the single consumer's plan." Now, high-deductible plans are a favorite of employers, especially for large-group coverage. Read More »
The key to your future data-sharing compliance may already be within your own daily data. Mining that data can reveal a lot about the organization's strengths--and its weaknesses. Read More »
CMS offers $275 million to 25 more states the funding to design and build new payment models that bring multiple payers together and improve the care delivery system. Read More »
A team approach and solid planning upfront are crucial to a successful EHR implementation, according to new report from LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST). Read More »
It was a large group of states with GOP governors whose challenge of the ACA led to the Supreme Court’s ruling, and many of them have either decided, or reportedly may decide, to forgo the additional federal payments that would come from expanding Medicaid eligibility in their states. Read More »
Major efforts are needed to increase the mental health workforce and train them in the mental health and substance abuse issues that relate to seniors, a new Institutes of Medicine report warns. Read More »
A stunning 99 percent of nursing home records examined by the OIG failed to meet one or more of the federal guidelines for assessing and documenting the use of antipsychotic drugs. Read More »
The Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and technology company Jvion have developed an online tool to help facilities calculate the financial impacts of migrating to ICD-10. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed policy changes that would increase reimbursement rates for end-stage renal disease services. Performance data collected next year would affect the payment rates starting in 2015. Read More »
Long-Term Living talks with Front Porch CEO Gary Wheeler about helping not-for-profits (NFPs) survive these challenging economic times.People and organizations need to do more with less. For stand-alone NFP organizations, this has become increasingly difficult. Read More »
Leaders digest: So the ACA stays. What now? Long-Term Living’s editors speak with leaders in the long-term and post-acute care industry the day the Supreme Court decision is announced. Read More »
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court has decided the Affordable Care Act will stay in place. The majority voted to keep individual mandate and the right for Congress to offer funding for state reform programs. Read More »
Some insurers aren't waiting for the Supreme Court's decision to show how they feel about some of the reforms within the Affordable Care Act. Read More »
Solving the problem of hospital readmissions will take much more than follow-up calls at home. Each link in the care chain has quality improvements to make, say health IT experts at the 2012 LTPAC Health IT Summit. Read More »
NASL’s Cynthia Morton shares insights on Congressional legislation and CMS innovation projects with attendees at this week’s eHDS User Group meeting. Read More »
Making the claims processing more efficient, leads to savings and allows physicians to spend more time on patient care and less on payment reconciliations. Read More »
