A rebasing impact report issued by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission suffers from data and methodologic flaws, the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare maintains. Read More »
A ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is being panned by organizations representing direct care workers and celebrated by those representing their employers. Additional action is expected Jan. 9. Read More »
Tennessee will receive up to $65 million over the next two years to implement and test its State Health Care Innovation Plan, including the provision of long-term services and supports. Read More »
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission should reject a proposal to pay the same amount for rehabilitation care whether it occurs in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital or a nursing home, the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association says. Read More »
In the first installment of a multi-part series examining challenges in the new year, Long-Term Living explores why some government initiatives under testing or development give pause to many providers serving older adults. Read More »
Long-term care facilities that do not recognize residents’ same-sex marriages would be ineligible to receive Medicare or Medicaid funding under a rule proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Read More »
A group representing providers of intensive rehabilitation is calling into question a proposal that potentially would divert patients to nursing homes for such care. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a new rule that is says will help save more than $327 annually by increasing oversight of Medicare providers. Read More »
Spending on care in nursing facilities and continuing care retirement communities totaled $155.8 billion in 2013, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This amount represents growth of 2.4 percent, compared with 2.0 percent in 2012. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services wants to ease the time lines for accountable care organizations participating in its shared savings program. Read More »
The American Health Care Association has suggested to CMS several changes to an outcome and efficiency measure that would affect payments to skilled nursing facilities for the care of those who have undergone total hip or knee arthroplasty. Read More »
Re-establishing a co-payment for the Medicare home health benefit would exacerbate the challenges facing U.S. seniors related to access, coordination and person-centered care, according to the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare. Read More »
Sooner or later, most skilled nursing facilities encounter recovery audit contractors (RACs). A healthcare legal expert explains how to handle RAC visits and what to do when claims are denied. Read More »
Leaders in organizations representing seniors housing and services providers share with Long-Term Living their wish lists for the upcoming White House Conference on Aging. Do you agree with their picks? Read More »
The billing, hiring, care-provision and deficiency-correction practices of nursing homes, hospices and home health programs are among the areas to be targeted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General in 2015. Read More »
A survey of older adults in 11 countries turns up interesting data on how efficiently people in industrialized nations can access and interact with their healthcare providers. Read More »
Ensuring quality in nursing home, hospice and home- and community-based settings is one of the top challenges facing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General. Read More »
One of the first political “hot potatoes” the new Congress must address is amnesty for illegal immigrants, which would present long-term care organizations a broader pool of potential caregivers. Read More »
CMS has followed the lead of a preventive services agency and proposed coverage of annual lung cancer screenings for certain older adults. But can Medicare afford it? Read More »
CMS recently updated the change of therapy requirements found in the RAI User’s Manual. Understanding the changes can ensure correct reimbursement and avoid miscalculations. Read More »
The federal government has reached a settlement about one woman's Medicare claims for nursing and therapy services, but it remains to be seen how far its effects will reach. Read More »
Changes effective Jan. 1 will apply to face-to-face encounters, therapy reassessments, rate setting, home health quality reporting and speech-language pathologists' conditions of participation. Read More »
This week’s departure of the top two executives at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology are the latest in a series of leadership turnovers at ONC. What will it mean for IT initiatives for quality improvement and transitions of care? Read More »
A new model of accountable care organization will aim to improve care quality and coordination in rural and underserved areas through the use of health information technology. Read More »
Pioneer ACOs have resulted in overall savings and quality improvements in the health system, according to new information released by CMS, but their effect going forward may be muted as participants dwindle. Read More »
Skilled nursing and assisted living providers must set the agenda and offer solutions to the federal government to address the challenges facing them, AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson told those attending the opening session of the organization's annual meeting. Read More »
