bigstock-Physical-therapist-assisting-s-34520978
1st Oct

COT OMRA’s—Change Effective October 1, 2014

The fiscal year 2015 SNF PPS Final Rule includes revision to the COT OMRA completion requirements.  With the change, CMS will permit providers to use the COT OMRA to reclassify a resident into a therapy RUG from a non-therapy RUG

Senior Male Runner
27th Aug

Avoiding Unnecessary Hospital Readmissions

A major component of the Affordable Care Act was the creation of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, which strives to reduce preventable hospital readmissions. As of October 2013, 2,225 hospitals have been penalized $227 million for excessive readmissions, and the

Businessman with Female Doctor at the Hospital
30th Jul

Post-Acute Care Management

Highmark has initiated a three-year partnership with naviHealth, a national post-acute care management company, to bring a personalized approach to support its Medicare Advantage members across Pennsylvania.  According to patient needs, naviHealth will utilize decision support technology and its post-acute

Clock face and calendar composite
23rd Jun

Length Of Stay

Health care facilities have been tracking and measuring their success for many years related to clinical outcomes and while the cost of care to produce successful clinical outcomes has always been a key factor in overall analysis of results, it

Library
21st May

SNF Therapy Research Project

In the 2014 SNF PPS Proposed Rule, CMS provided an update on the SNF Therapy Research Project, and noted that it has contracted with Acumen, LLC, and the Brookings Institution. The purpose was to identify potential alternatives to the existing

Senior Man Sitting In Hospital Bed
28th Apr

Hospital Readmission Rates

The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 directs the Secretary to specify a skilled nursing facility all-cause all-condition hospital readmission measure (or any successor) by Oct. 1, 2015.   As per customary routine, the details are sketchy and nobody

Act Now 3D
20th Mar

Therapy Cap Exceptions

Therapy Cap Exceptions Process is due to expire March 31st.  Letters are now available from NASL for patients, providers, and family members for advocacy.  PLEASE ACT NOW! 1)     PATIENTS: Urge Congress to ensure the recent bipartisan bicameral agreement on the

bigstock-The-words-Compliance-Rules-R-46050379 (2)
28th Feb

2014 OIG Work Plan

On January 31, 2014, the OIG Work Plan For Fiscal Year 2014 was released.  Areas pertaining to skilled nursing facilities are the following: Medicare Part A billing by skilled nursing facilities (new) – The OIG will describe SNF billing practices in

bigstock-Brown-Gavel-46632817
24th Jan

Jimmo vs. Sebelius Settlement

It is official!  As part of its court-directed educational campaign, on December 6, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published revisions to several portions of the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual pursuant to the settlement agreement in the

bigstock-Budget-Newspaper-Clipping-50332265
23rd Dec

Happy New Year—A Budget Agreement Has Been Met!

A budget agreement has been met which cuts the deficit by about $300 million from FY 2014 – 2023, through a reduction of other healthcare spending.  Approximately $28 billion of the savings would come from a two year extension of

slot pro jepang