Bruce Yarwood, AHCA CEO

[Editor’s note: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services opted to reduce the practice expense by 25%, not 50% as it originally had proposed. That change is reflected in the story below.]

Long-term care associations spoke out after the federal government included the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction rule in its 2011 Physician Fee Schedule.

The policy will reduce Medicare Part B payments when nursing home residents receive more than one therapy service the same day. Specifically, it will reduce the practice expense by 25% for secondary and subsequent therapy procedures.

“Each therapy discipline is separate and exists as a distinct service under Medicare law, and these cuts risk negatively affecting access to therapy that Medicare guarantees,” said Bruce Yarwood, outgoing president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, and Alan Rosenbloom, president for the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care.

Cynthia Morton, executive vice president of the National Alliance for the Support of Long Term Care, voiced concern for long-stay long-term care residents who typically have multiple physical diagnoses and more than one or cognitive condition.