RUG

As skilled nursing facilities adjust to the changes to Medicare that arrived early last month, they must be ready for Recovery Audit Contractors. RACs are independent auditors for the government that are preparing to audit every facility that has submitted Medicare claims.

For-profit nursing homes may be overbilling Medicare for the costliest services, a report released Thursday by the Office of Inspector General suggests.

So, it's finally here. MDS 3.0, the updated resident assessment tool, has officially taken effect. So how exactly will this highly anticipated system change the way you, nursing home providers, operate? There are several ways.

Despite new political turmoil and uncertainty about the fate of healthcare reform, nursing home operators can still expect the scheduled Oct. 1 implementation of the new MDS 3.0 resident assessment tool to take place, federal regulators said Thursday.