Salaries increase for DONs, administrators

Under the House healthcare reform package, Medicarepayments to skilled nursing facilities would grow slowly, according to a Congressional Research Service report released the daybefore the bill’s passage.

The House legislation would subject skilled nursingfacility market-basket updates to a “productivity adjustment,”significantly slowing an increase in payments. The combination of the productivityadjustment and a proposed elimination in the market basket for the final threequarters of fiscal year 2010 would result in a reduction in Medicare of $23.9billion over 10 years, according to the American Health Care Association. Thebill would also require Medicare to change its policy regarding non-therapyancillary services, such as medical equipment and IV therapy, to make reimbursementsbudget neutral. The House passed the bill on Saturday. 

Other Medicare changes include reductions in skillednursing payments for patients who are readmitted within 30 days and apost-acute care payment bundling demonstration project. More information on thereport, which highlights other changes in Medicare payment policy under H.R. 3962, can be found at www.opencrs.com