Doctor and senior woman wearing facemasks during coronavirus and flu outbreak. Virus protection. COVID-2019..

President Bush last month signed a $555 billion spendingbill that eliminates revisit user fees for nursing homes. 

Providers have been adamantly opposed to the revisit feesystem, which charges a fee to facilities that require a revisit survey as aresult of deficiencies cited. The fees for skilled nursing facilities have been$168 for an offsite revisit survey and $2,072 for an onsite revisit survey.

As of press time, President Bush was also expected tosign a Medicare bill that holds some hard-won items for nursing homes. It wouldmaintain a 3.3% marketbasket increase for nursing homes for fiscal year 2008.(The update is believed to total $690 million for the year.) The bill alsoextends by six months an exceptions process for Medicare Part B outpatienttherapy. Provides, however, were disappointed that the bill also freezes thethreshold for inpatient rehabilitation facility compliance at 60%.