SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 4: Attention to Quality: The New Normal

Every day now we are hearing and reading about quality issues in the nursing home. The Pandemic has thrown a spotlight on areas that needed to be exposed. Focused infection control survey data now impacts your facility’s 5-star rating and new quality measures are constantly being introduced as measures under consideration or are being proposed… Continue reading SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 4: Attention to Quality: The New Normal

Regulatory Reminders: SNF Consolidated Billing Update

CMS has just released Transmittal 10770 along with an MLN Matters article MM12271 October Quarterly Update to 2021 Annual Update of HCPCS Codes Used for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Consolidated Billing (CB) Enforcement to update the list of items and services that will be excluded from consolidated billing starting with dates of service on or after October 1, 2021.

Regulatory Reminder

Here are some Regulatory updates related to COVID-19 vaccinations and education and reporting. From the Interim Final Rule released yesterday to the SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule, CNS requirements related to COVID-19 vaccination administration and reporting are serious business. Interim Final Rule: (Medicare and Medicaid Programs; COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and… Continue reading Regulatory Reminder

SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 3: How is My Rate Calculated

Have you ever wondered just how CMS comes up with your Medicare Part A rate? Year in and year out, the rates shift, but what makes up the components of that rate and why does a shift occur each year? Market Basket Update Every year CMS updates the PPS rate based on changes in the… Continue reading SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 3: How is My Rate Calculated

Regulatory Reminders: COVID Waiver Updates

There have been lots of questions swirling around related to the status of the remaining COVID-19 waivers that CMS has issues related to the ongoing Public Health Emergency (PHE), especially related to the 3-day stay waiver. There have been several updates recently that help answer these questions. Please download copies of the appropriate documents linked… Continue reading Regulatory Reminders: COVID Waiver Updates

SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 2: Don’t Forget About Your Wage Index!

Among the many required updates that CMS is mandated to make each year related to the SNF PPS rate, there is one pesky little number that often gets lost in the shuffle. That number is the wage index. The wage index is an adjustment to the SNF PPS rate that accounts for regional differences in… Continue reading SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 2: Don’t Forget About Your Wage Index!

SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 1

Today we start a blog series dedicated to unpacking the FY 2022 SNF PPS Proposed Rule that was released late in the day on April 8th. CMS has proposed many significant initiatives that will affect every aspect of Skilled Nursing Operations in the coming months and years to come. This first blog will address the… Continue reading SNF FY 2022 Proposed Rule – Learn the Facts Behind the Headlines Part 1

Regulatory Reminder

It’s been a while since we sent out the last Regulatory Reminder. As we have been preparing for our Reflections call today I downloaded a copy of the most recent (March) 5-Star preview report from CASPER and, to my surprise, there were a few important announcements that CMS conveyed using that format related to the… Continue reading Regulatory Reminder

The Power of the PDPM Primary Diagnosis

Since the inception of the PDPM, providers have grappled with the nuances of the new payment system in an effort to ensure that reimbursement accommodate the services that are provided to each resident. The challenge has been that the PDPM is nothing like the former RUG-IV system in which facilities were essentially paid for volume… Continue reading The Power of the PDPM Primary Diagnosis