May 20, 2013
Many long-term care operators have begun to put wellness programs in place. And by most accounts, they seem to be working out well so far. But do wellness programs really work? The short answer appears to be that we don't know.
Potential Medicare cuts called for by the Affordable Care Act will not occur, a chief government actuary has announced. Long-term care organizations said the news comes as a relief for providers who have weathered a series of recent payment reductions.
Affordable Care Act requirements related to health insurance are leading long-term care providers to hire more part-time employees, according to some experts.
April 20, 2013
The implications of the Affordable Care Act and what providers should be doing about it were the focus of a free McKnight's webcast April 24. Led by legal veteran Janet K. Feldkamp, of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff, the webinar focused on workforce issues that senior care employers need to focus on as more details of the healthcare reform law are implemented. Also presenting strategies and options for providers was software and information technology veteran Mark Woodka, the CEO of OnShift Software.
Palliative care should follow care coordination and quality improvement processes called for by the Affordable Care Act, according to updated guidelines from the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care.
A provision of the Affordable Care Act on kickbacks could snare innocent providers, panelists said at a recent American Health Lawyers Association conference. The new law considers any Medicare claim resulting from a violation of the anti-kickback law to be "false and fraudulent."
April 01, 2013
A federal agency is again offering to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to employee background checks for long-term care providers. All direct-care employees could potentially be affected.
April 01, 2013
States can and should exercise "wide discretion" in setting Medicaid payment rates, the White House said in a court brief supporting reimbursement cuts in California.
April 01, 2013
The federal government will pay 100% of the Medicaid costs for certain newly eligible beneficiaries under the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed in a final rule last Friday.
March 28, 2013
Medicare and Medicaid should not be significantly altered, because spending for these programs is trending downward and incentives tied to the programs are working, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
March 22, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is still working on the regulations for ethics and compliance programs that nursing homes were supposed to have implemented this month, CMS administrators admitted in an Open Door Forum call Thursday.
The country's long-term care financing system for consumers must be revamped within five years to meet the needs of aging baby boomers, according to The SCAN Foundation. In eight reports released Wednesday, the organization laid out policy recommendations for taking pressure off government programs while increasing the availability and affordability of long-term care financing for consumers.
Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) unveiled a proposed budget Wednesday, offering a plan that contrasts with the one offered earlier in the week by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).
March 14, 2013
As agents of innovative health care for the future, our role is clear in paving the path of collaborative efforts within the patient care continuum. Transitional Care Management (TCM) is certainly not a new concept, but as it evolves the interventions are defined from many different perspectives and approaches. In general, care transitions refer to the movement of patients from one health care practitioner to another.
Timothy Bickmore, Ph.D., will address how computerized characters can provide support to providers during an upcoming free webinar. "Avatars in senior care settings" will begin at 1 p.m. ET on March 20. The presentation is part of the McKnight's Online Expo. Attendees will be able to earn up to five free NAB-approved continuing education credits. To register, visit www.mcknights.com/expo2013.
February 26, 2013
LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association have joined a growing list of organizations opposed to Medicaid cost-sharing provisions in the Affordable Care Act. More than 700 respondents submitted comments within the last month to the Jan. 22 proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Long-term care pharmacies are struggling with an Affordable Care Act provision related to short-cycle dispensing of brand name oral solid drugs, according to a recent letter from the Long Term Care Pharmacy Alliance and the National Community Pharmacists Association.
February 01, 2013
Nursing facilities have always faced an array of obligations in order to provide services to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, which can sometimes seem burdensome in comparison with other providers. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as the healthcare reform law, is yet another example of how nursing facilities remain a target - the notable new obligation is the mandatory compliance program requirement. Adoption and implementation of compliance programs has previously been voluntary, although encouraged.
Three former top Medicare administrators offered their proposals for reform Wednesday. The panel spoke at the Kaiser Family Foundation offices in Washington, D.C.
January 25, 2013
Most states are making the Medicaid application process easier as they prepare for implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a recently released study from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
January 18, 2013
There are likely to be notable gaps in Medicaid coverage through the nation when major parts of the Affordable Care Act go into effect on the first day of 2014, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study released Wednesday.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a rule to clarify ways in which Medicaid will be coordinated under the Affordable Care Act rollout.
January 02, 2013
A federal trial court has declined to grant an injunction in a case over the Affordable Care Act's "contraceptive mandate," finding against companies that said the requirement goes against their religious beliefs.
December 07, 2012
A federal experiment for dual-eligibles that hopes to cut Medicaid and Medicare costs through managed care is set to exponentially expand, and some are worried it is destined to fail, according to a report from Kaiser Health News.
Despite state-by-state variation, Medicaid spending is expecting to increase by billions of dollars through 2022, according to a study from the Kaiser Commission of Medicaid and the Uninsured.
While many states have increased provider taxes since 2008, many also raised payment rates for skilled nursing facilities, according to a three-year study from the General Accountability Office.
November 19, 2012
Last month, at LeadingAge, I found that most senior living providers do indeed have a vision for change in the world — and it starts with innovation. And today, especially with the costs of care rising so dramatically each year, it would be hard to find a company that doesn't advocate for innovation in our senior living and healthcare systems.
November 12, 2012
As late as Friday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) indicated he still would like to upend Obamacare. But he really needs to find a less frustrating way to spend his working hours.
While a controversial Republican-supported Medicaid block-grants option will be off the table after last week's presidential election, uncertainty will continue about nursing homes' No. 1 source of payment as President Obama's healthcare reform plans move forward.
November 12, 2012
The leader of the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care expressed optimism Friday after President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) spoke publicly about looming healthcare funding threats.
