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Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services

A survey system that works?

John O'Connor January 30, 2012

All sides generally agree that the current nursing home survey system is flawed. But there's hardly consensus on how best to fix it. Here's something worth considering.

Pharmacist underpayments results in adverse events, citations, investigation finds

January 30, 2012

Nursing homes that provide below-average consultant pharmacist salaries may be getting what they pay for, a state investigation suggests.

SNFs focused on individual therapy, new government report reveals

January 27, 2012

Skilled nursing facilities are almost exclusively putting residents in individual therapy, a new report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid says.

CMS clarifies provider termination criteria

January 24, 2012

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has clarified the terms under which states can terminate a provider's participation in state Medicaid programs.

I prefer not to think of myself as an angry person who gets annoyed by every little thing. I'm much more comfortable seeing myself as an angry person who gets annoyed by little things with the power to infuriate.

U.S. healthcare spending growth at historic low rate

January 10, 2012

Overall spending on healthcare in the United States grew at historically low rates in 2009 and 2010, according to a report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Adverse events in older adults are underreported in hospitals, report says

January 09, 2012

Adverse events for Medicare beneficiaries are underreported in hospitals, where incident reporting systems only capture about 14% of errors, according to a government report released Friday.

GOP presidential candidate: Eliminate the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

January 06, 2012

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says he favors privatizing Medicare and says he would like to see the elimination of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Programs administered at least in part by CMS account for an overwhelming majority of payments made to skilled nursing providers

HHS: New electronic claims regulation could save providers time, money

January 06, 2012

The Department of Health and Human Services announced new standards Thursday that it said would streamline the electronic health claims process and save providers and government health plans $4.5 billion in administrative costs.

Self-reported quality data from special focus facilities is unreliable, report suggests

December 23, 2011

Self-reported quality and staffing information from nursing homes categorized as Special Focus Facilities (SFFs) is unreliable and should not be published on Medicare's Nursing Home Compare website, a new report suggests.

Berwick decries Medicare and Medicaid fraud and waste in parting interview

December 06, 2011

On the heels of his departure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Donald Berwick, M.D., said he came to Washington with an agenda to eliminate waste from the system.

Nursing homes should be penalized for overuse of antipsychotic medications for dementia residents, federal investigator says

December 01, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should penalize physicians and nursing homes that continue to inappropriately prescribe and administer antipsychotic medications to dementia residents, regulators urged Wednesday.

CMS expands Medicare fraud patrol program

November 28, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is offering $9 million in grants to expand a program that trains retirees to spot Medicare fraud.

Government saved $17.6 billion in 2011 due to fraud prevention programs

November 16, 2011

A government crackdown on improper payments in federal programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, cut wasteful payments by $17.6 billion in 2011, the Office of Management and Budget reported Tuesday. The administration's Campaign to Cut Waste saved $7 billion in Medicare fee-for-service payment errors between 2010 and 2011, according to the OMB.

Obama administration offers up $1 billion for hiring and training healthcare workers

November 15, 2011

The Obama administration announced Monday the availability of $1 billion in grants for innovative healthcare organizations and projects that can train and hire workers quickly.

CMS responds to state Medicaid directors' calls for help

November 11, 2011

State Medicaid directors should refrain from making short-term cuts, and instead focus on long-term changes in partnership with the federal government, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said this week.

LTC groups react to final ACO rule

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.

Medicare and Medicaid chief tells long-term care providers: CMS is on their side

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.

Providers must be compliant with new nursing home payment rules or face rejection of claims, expert says

October 06, 2011

Nursing home administrators must be absolutely certain their billing department staff and MDS coordinators are up to speed on the newly implemented PPS rules for therapy, MDS expert Leah Klusch said Wednesday during a special McKnight's webcast.

Report: States will see drop in Medicaid match rate in FY 2013

October 04, 2011

Most states can expect a dip in their federal match rate for Medicaid in fiscal year 2013, according to a new report from the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

CMS announces new bundled payment initiative for Medicare providers

August 24, 2011

A new initiative under the Affordable Care Act will provide bundled payments to healthcare providers — including post-acute facilities — to improve the coordination of care of Medicare beneficiaries when they are discharged from the hospital.

CMS expands competitive bidding program

August 23, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is expanding its competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment to 91 new cities, for an estimated savings of $28 billion over 10 years, the agency announced last week.

CMS adds additional training session call on payment changes

August 22, 2011

Due to overwhelming interest from skilled nursing facility operators, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has added a training conference call on changes related to MDS 3.0 on Sept. 1.

Even with cuts, care should not decline, CMS says

August 19, 2011

Despite looming reimbursement cuts, the quality of care in nursing homes should not decline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Thursday.

Health quality measures approved for adult Medicaid recipients as program faces growing pains

August 15, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services likely will focus on 24 health quality measures when evaluating care received by adult Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a draft from an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality advisory panel released last week.

Provider groups 'appalled' by CMS rule that would trim SNF payments by 11.1%

August 01, 2011

Provider groups slammed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday after the agency issued a final rule that would reduce Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities by $3.87 billion for fiscal year 2012.

Government should be able to lower Medicare prescription drug prices, panel says

July 25, 2011

Further legislation is needed to empower the federal government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices in Medicare, a bipartisan panel concluded Thursday.

Providers storm Capitol Hill to lobby for favorable Medicare, Medicaid funding

July 15, 2011

Pushing for less drastic cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, more than 400 long-term care operators visited their lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday as part of the American Health Care Association's annual Congressional Briefing.

OIG report: Correct nursing home Medicare pay 'immediately'

July 12, 2011

Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities increased unexpectedly by $2.1 billion (16%) during the first six months of fiscal 2011, according to a new report issued by the Office of the Inspector General. The OIG has asked Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick to take "immediate action" to correct this overpayment.

Provider groups suggest Medicare payment freezes, gradual recalibrations

July 01, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should keep Medicare payment rates to skilled nursing facilities at the current level for one year, instead of implementing an 11.3% cut in fiscal year 2012, says LeadingAge, a top lobbying organization for providers, in comments submitted to the federal agency.