Skilled nursing facilities that delay joining an Accountable Care Organization will likely be losers in the healthcare marketplace, according to John Durso, a partner at the law firm of Ungaretti & Harris LLP. Durso recently offered tips for nursing homes that are negotiating to join an integrated care network.
Post-acute care providers should be considering creative joint ventures with hospitals to best take advantage of evolving healthcare delivery and payment systems, healthcare finance and legal experts said Wednesday in an Avalere Health webcast.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be hosting a national conference call on Tuesday for providers interested in applying to take part in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. The 90-minute session starts at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. The Shared Savings Program is designed to help provides take part in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). On Tuesday, experts will offer tips on completing a successful MSS Program application, and more info on ACOs.
_-1_361461.jpg?format=jpg&zoom=1&quality=70&anchor=middlecenter&height=80&width=80&mode=crop "State News")
April 01, 2013
A four-person review panel would have to approve civil malpractice lawsuits against long-term care providers before the claims could go to court, under a bill that recently passed the state senate in Kentucky.
The current fee-for-service healthcare model should be replaced with bundled payment systems that encourage more coordinated care, the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform said in a report released Monday.
Increased coordination among acute and post-acute providers has reduced rehospitalization rates, signaling that healthcare reform is working, a senior Medicare official told the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 28.
February 25, 2013
The Department of Health and Human Services will award $285 million for 25 states to innovate healthcare delivery and payment systems, the agency announced on Feb. 21. In many of these states, long-term care providers will take part in newly established multi-payer groups, such as accountable care organizations.
Accountable care organizations and bundled payment initiatives are harbingers of the future healthcare system in the United States, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a speech on Tuesday. Sebelius addressed the American Medical Association National Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C.
January 30, 2013
Healthcare providers are increasing coordination to reduce the cost of care, but overly zealous consolidation can actually end up costing more, an expert panelist said at a Monday briefing.
December 05, 2012
"The Healthcare Executive's Guide to ACO Strategy" helps healthcare leaders prepare for the burgeoning world of accountable care organizations.
October 26, 2012
The current policies of the Affordable Care Act push innovation, which is crucial to the success of the long-term care industry, LeadingAge President and CEO Larry Minnix told McKnight's.
With reimbursement increasingly tied to quality and safety measures, it's imperative providers have best practices in place, according to a "call to action" released by a healthcare quality group.
One of the first care coordination demonstration projects for Medicare beneficiaries achieved significant provider savings for dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, a new analysis found.
Long-Term care providers should be more interested than ever in what goes on at a daylong, national summit next week dedicated to improving care coordination. The event takes place Sept. 14 at the National Press Club in Washington. Experts will lead participants through sessions that will cover Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), improving care for individuals certified under both Medicaid and Medicare, and much more. Experts at the point of care will discuss forward-thinking initiatives and innovative best practices. In less than four weeks, hospitals will begin getting penalized financially for rehospitalization rates that are too high, thus making relationships with long-term care providers more important than ever.
Long-Term care providers should be more interested than ever in what goes on at a daylong, national summit next week dedicated to improving care coordination. The event takes place Sept. 14 at the National Press Club in Washington. Experts will lead participants through sessions that will cover Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), improving care for individuals certified under both Medicaid and Medicare, and much more. Experts at the point of care will discuss forward-thinking initiatives and innovative best practices. In less than four weeks, hospitals will begin getting penalized financially for rehospitalization rates that are too high, thus making relationships with long-term care providers more important than ever.
August 21, 2012
A snapshot of hospitals involved in accountable care organizations finds that they are making progress in improving the coordination of care.
July 11, 2012
Nursing home administrators who can't substantiate every minute of rehab therapy delivered in their building leave themselves open to increasingly common audits and surveys, a top MDS 3.0 expert said Tuesday.
There currently are 154 accountable care organizations in operation, according to federal officials. They announced today that 89 brand new ACOs began service July 1.
Accountable care organizations are expected to thrive even if the Supreme Court throws out the Affordable Care Act, healthcare law experts said Tuesday.
April 16, 2012
Nursing homes take care of 1.5 million residents each year. They pump more than $100 billion into the nation's economy. In many communities, they are the largest source of jobs. But as far as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is concerned, nursing facilities are little more than the help.
April 04, 2012
In the wake of healthcare reform, accountable care organizations continue to emerge as an increasingly likely care delivery option. The Healthcare Executive's Guide to ACO Strategy helps operators better prepare for this model. The book examines how ACOs have emerged. Several chapters also examine specific strategies operators can use to attract and retain new partners.
November 10, 2011
Nurses have numerous reasons to be pleased the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated accountable care organization guidelines, several nursing organizations maintain.
Accountable care organizations could very well improve the quality of healthcare, but incentivizing lower spending also could cause providers to cut corners, a new report suggests.
October 21, 2011
Federal regulators have boosted incentives for becoming part of an accountable care organization, drawing a more positive response from long-term care providers.
October 19, 2011
Improving the quality of care and targeting waste and fraud are priorities for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, chief Donald Berwick, M.D. told a large group of long-term care providers Tuesday.
September 26, 2011
As the Nov. 4 deadline for healthcare providers to get into the Bundled Payment initiative from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid approaches, healthcare providers are still struggling to figure out new approaches to reimbursement.
Current U.S. healthcare costs are unsustainably high for the relative value being provided — particularly for low-income individuals —Donald Berwick, M.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Thursday.
September 08, 2011
Have you been paying attention to the news lately in the healthcare industry outside of long-term care? Seems insurers are starting to buy hospitals and physician groups. This is a trend slowly sneaking up on the industry.
American Health Care Association CEO and President Mark Parkinson on Tuesday called for collaboration across all segments of the healthcare sector at the second annual National Accountable Care Organization Summit.
June 10, 2011
Nursing home and hospital provider groups have asked the Internal Revenue Service for clarification and guidance regarding the participation of nonprofit providers in accountable care organizations. Many nonprofit groups are concerned that collaborating with for-profit partners will cause them to lose their exempt status, the Bureau of National Affairs reports.
