May 08, 2013
Skilled nursing providers should ratchet up Medicare Part A compliance initiatives to meet the increasingly intense scrutiny of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a compliance expert said in a McKnight's Super Tuesday webcast. "CMS is serious about this," said Leah Klusch, executive director of The Alliance Training Center.
April 08, 2013
The government should consider Medicare payment cuts for hospice services provided in skilled nursing facilities, according to Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) commissioners. A reduction of 3% to 5% is reasonable, MedPAC says, based on a formula that assumes "equal provision of aide visits" in home and facility settings, and accounts for the labor costs of these two types of care.
Brookdale Senior Living is launching a rebranding initiative under new CEO Andy Smith. The company serves about 66,700 residents in skilled nursing centers and senior living communities.
March 26, 2013
Geographic variations in Medicare payments can be largely explained by how much skilled nursing and post-acute care is being used, according to a recently released interim report from the Institute of Medicine.
A newly enacted sequester may be trimming Medicare payments to skilled nursing operators, but the sector remains strong and poised for future growth. That assessment was delivered Wednesday by the head of the nation's largest nursing home association at a conference in San Diego hosted by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry.
Increasing hospice enrollment would improve care for beneficiaries while saving the Medicare program millions of dollars annually, according to a study in the March issue of Health Affairs.
February 22, 2013
A new U.S. Senate bill would change a Medicare provision preventing many seniors from getting coverage for skilled nursing therapy after hospital "observation stays."
February 01, 2013
When Grancare Nursing Center owner and administrator Donna Zunker began envisioning a new rehab wing, she wanted more than a new addition.
January 25, 2013
Skilled nursing, assisted living and independent living communities are under intense pressure to improve their bottom line in a difficult reimbursement and economic climate. Many communities teeter between profitability and unprofitability. The key driver of success for all elder care communities is occupancy.
A long-term care group is urging regulators to continue work on fixing the "observation stay loophole" that makes it harder for Medicare beneficiaries to get nursing home care.
July 22, 2012
By any standard, assisted living and skilled care operators are taking care of customers who need more help.
July 09, 2012
I love my grandma dearly. She's still going strong, living independently in a ranch-style house. But while her stubbornness may be the reason she lives such full and active lifestyle, it's also a trait that almost cost her big-time when she had a "health scare" a few years ago.
A proposed rule that would require Medicare providers to return overpayments within 60 days of detection could significantly increase administrative time and costs, an expert says.
The National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry is holding its tandem housing regional symposium and skilled nursing investment forum Sunday through Tuesday in Boca Raton, FL. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Gov. Tommy Thompson and Dr. Peter Morici, Professor of Business and Public Policy at the University of Maryland, lead the speaker slate. Investors and skilled nursing operators will be able to attend concurrent educational programs on hot issues of the day.
February 10, 2012
Recently, claims for hospital patients discharged to skilled nursing homes have come under increased review, particularly by various recovery audit contractors. If you know some background and better understand the situation, it can only help.
Residents and staff at a Michigan long-term care facility will prove they are true romantics at heart — and not mere victims of royal wedding fever — when they celebrate the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday. This is not just another case of fawning over royals.
A pair of investment and operations forums for long-term care operators and lenders will take place next week at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. "New opportunities, new realities: What's in your playbook" is the title of the regional investment symposium being hosted Monday and Tuesday by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC). "The future of the skilled nursing sector: Strategies for survival & success in fiscal uncertainty" will piggyback Tuesday through Thursday as an investment forum centered on skilled nursing.
The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care is launching a new ad campaign to remind lawmakers that skilled nursing and rehabilitation service facilities are the second-largest health facility employer in the United States.
February 10, 2011
Healthcare providers are worried that the Medicare and Medicaid cuts predicted in President Obama's FY 2012 budget will affect the quality of care offered in skilled nursing facilities, and damage the U.S. economy's fragile recovery as well. The president's budget is expected to be released Monday.
There were smaller cost increases at some long-term care facilities from 2008-2010 as a result of the economic recession, according to a new analysis from Prudential Financial Inc., a financial services company.
Long-term care facilities around the country are working to enhance the appeal of their units. Renaissance Gardens at Riderwood in Silver Spring is one of them.
April 16, 2010
President Obama Thursday night signed a bill that postpones a scheduled 21.2% cut in Medicare physician pay and extends the COBRA unemployment insurance benefit until June 1. He made it law just hours after the legislation cleared both houses of Congress.
March 16, 2010
The average price per bed for skilled nursing facilities rose slightly in 2009, while the price per bed in assisted living facilities fell, according to the 15th edition of the Senior Care Acquisition Report from Irving Levin Associates Inc.
March 10, 2010
The looming Medicare payment system will encourage nursing home operators to embrace more clinically complex care, according to panelists who spoke Tuesday at the 2010 National Skilled Nursing Investment Forum. A favorable reimbursement level will push this case-mix shift, they noted.
February 16, 2010
There should be a seamless transition between levels of care in continuing care retirement communities.
January 04, 2010
Long-term care residents should reevaluate their Medicare Part D plans for the new year. A plan should correspond to a resident's individual pharmacy-related needs.
