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Therapy Caps

Congress returns to full action; focus turns back to therapy cap process, docs and State of the Union

January 20, 2012

The U.S. Senate ends its recess Monday, six days after the House reconvened. That sets the stage for more intense lobbying over healthcare spending and other measures, including the Medicare Part B therapy caps exceptions process and how to fund Medicare doctors. Both were part of a two-month reprieve Congress approved shortly before Christmas. Long-term care providers and numerous other special interest groups will continue their blitz of lawmakers and their staff members in attempts to curry favor for what should be a much longer legislative solution this time. Also on tap: Watching intently Tuesday to see whether long-term care is mentioned in President Obama's State of the Union address.

Providers tense, as House leaders vow to vote around Senate-approved measure with 'doc fix' and therapy cap extender bills

December 19, 2011

Provider groups were anxiously awaiting a vote that is expected to be held Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives. The balloting could determine the short-term fate of Medicare spending for the "doc fix" and an extension to the therapy caps exception process.

GOP bill discounting Medicare bad debt ignites skilled nursing backlash

December 12, 2011

Advocates for skilled nursing operators started a counteroffensive Monday in Washington to fight bad-debt provisions of a new House GOP spending bill. Introduced Friday, the bill asks skilled nursing operators to absorb more than $4.5 billion of $10 billion in bad debt losses.

GOP bill would extend Medicare therapy caps exceptions process, delay physician pay cut for two years

December 09, 2011

House Republicans introduced legislation Friday that would extend the outpatient therapy caps exception process. Without Congressional action, the caps would go back into full effect Jan. 1. The proposed legislation also would postpone huge Medicare doctor pay cuts by two years through a package that would scuttle parts of the healthcare reform law.

LTC groups urge Congress to pass a therapy cap extension

December 06, 2011

Congress should extend the therapy caps exception process for medically necessary Medicare Part B outpatient therapy services, several long-term care groups said Tuesday.

Pending legislation would end therapy caps

April 13, 2011

A measure to terminate Medicare therapy caps will soon be introduced in Congress, a top association official said during a McKnight's Super Tuesday webcast yesterday.

A reason to hide

James M. Berklan February 17, 2011

Given recent flaps about hospice care in nursing homes, one has to wonder if long-term care providers are always going to be subjected to the "one step forward, one step back" syndrome.

Ode to the lame-duck session

Liza Berger December 22, 2010

Lawmakers have been earning their keep lately. Given all the legislation that has passed, I could not resist writing this little holiday poem.

AAHSA expresses concern about commission's proposed long-term care cuts

November 11, 2010

A deficit commission's recommendations regarding cuts to Medicaid long-term care prompted some push-back Wednesday from Larry Minnix, president and CEO of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.

'Tis nursing home conference season

Liza Berger October 22, 2010

It's hard to believe we're in the midst of another conference season. The American Health Care Association's annual meeting already has passed and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging's is about a week away.

AHCA gears up for annual therapy caps fight, pushes to reform therapy rule

October 13, 2010

As the end of the year approaches, long-term care providers will be lobbying to extend the therapy caps exceptions process, which is set to end Dec. 31. Another therapy issue—a proposed rule to reduce payments when multiple therapy procedures are provided to a Medicare beneficiary in one day—also is on providers' radar screens.

Latest bill would extend therapy caps exceptions process through end of year

March 10, 2010

The Senate on Tuesday voted 66-34 to end debate on a package of healthcare stopgap measures. These include an extension of the therapy caps exceptions process.

AHCA, Alliance slam MedPAC for skilled nursing pay freeze recommendation; providers call for end to therapy caps

March 04, 2010

This year's recommendations from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission don't take into account the worsening situation facing state Medicaid programs, and could prove harmful to senior care if adopted by congress, long-term care groups warned Wednesday.

Latest therapy caps ping-pong set straight

Brett Bakshis March 04, 2010

If all the recent legislative action (or inaction, as the case may be) on Capitol Hill has your head spinning, don't worry—you're not alone.

Senate takes out therapy caps, physician pay provisions from jobs bill

February 16, 2010

Just hours after unveiling a jobs bill that would extend the therapy caps exceptions process and delay a pay cut for Medicare physicians, Senate leaders last week scrapped it in favor of a bill that contains neither of those provisions.

New draft legislation would extend therapy caps exceptions process

February 12, 2010

Senate Finance Committee leaders Thursday issued a draft of a jobs-creation bill. The legislation would extend the Medicare Part B therapy caps exceptions process and delay through Sept. 30 an impending 21% cut in payments for Medicare physicians.

Snowstorm in capital sidelines discussions on therapy caps, Medicare physician pay cut

February 11, 2010

A snowstorm that pummeled the East Coast this week has delayed the Senate's consideration of a jobs bill that would extend the Medicare Part B therapy caps exceptions process and prevent a pay cut for Medicare physicians, according to reports from Washington.

Senators propose stop-gap measure on implementation of Medicare Part B therapy caps

February 05, 2010

One bipartisan group of senators is petitioning Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to postpone implementation of the cap on Medicare Part B outpatient therapy reimbursements.

Need grows for therapy caps resolution

Liza Berger February 05, 2010

My how things change. Just a month ago a healthcare reform bill seemed en route to passage. Now its very existence is in question and, by extension, some key long-term care services are too.

Healthcare reform wrinkle affects Medicare therapy caps exceptions process

January 21, 2010

The potential collapse of healthcare reform could further stall the restoration of the therapy caps exceptions process for long-term care providers. Both the House and Senate bills would extend the process, which expired at the end of 2009.