The agency has a plan to expedite the new coverage and will provide more information before the end of October, Verma said. CMS is also working on appropriate Medicare fees for administration of potential vaccines.
Many of the new services involve cardiovascular care, including intensive cardiac rehab with and without exercise, pulmonary rehab with exercise, and in-person ventricular assist device interrogation.
Operators who serve a disproportionate share of beneficiaries with these conditions are penalized twice, argue researchers.
In reviewing the MDS, there are several areas to check related to short stay requirements. First, is the Start of Therapy assessment checked in A0310C? If there is not a 5-day scheduled assessment or readmission/return assessment checked in A0310B, has this already been done?
Well-designed programs to coordinate care for patients with complex needs can reduce Medicare expenditures, including skilled nursing facility costs, according to an issue brief released Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund.
Policymakers should freeze Medicare hospice reimbursements for 2015, according to recommendations supported by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
A recent Washington Post analysis of the use of “ultra-high” reimbursement categories for nursing homes “paints a negative, incomplete picture of the growing role and tangible benefits associated with skilled nursing facility (SNF) patient care,” two leading long-term care advocates said.
