Regulators to start conference-call series to teach new nursing home payment system

Providers with questions about the new nursing home payment system will be able to take part in a series of three training conference calls, beginning later this month, an official with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Thursday. The first will be held at 1:30 EDT on June 24 and deal with concurrent therapy, look-back periods and ADLs (activities of daily living).

“We didn't want to get left behind so we're also developing training programs,” said CMS's Sheila Lambowitz during the SNF Open Door Forum conference call. She was referring to payment aspects of the new MDS and resource utilization group systems that will be used starting Oct. 1. “We're planning to have three calls to talk about differing parts of the payment system.”

Registration information should be forthcoming from CMS either today or Monday, she explained. Interested parties will have to register to get a call-in phone number to participate, she emphasized. The other two calls are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 5 and 23. The content of those will be based on questions received, she added.