It is that time of year again! The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued the proposed rule that would update Medicare payment policies and rates for the fiscal year (FY) 2023’s Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS). The Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) was implemented on October 1, 2019. This […]
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On January 14, 2022, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated the Technical Users’ Guide for the Care Compare Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System. While this information will be publicly reported starting in January, it will not be used in the Five-Star Quality Rating System until July 2022. Here is what you need to […]
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President Biden’s administration recently announced its Path Out of the Pandemic action plan which included specific guidance around a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The action plan calls for employers with 100 or more employees to require employees to be vaccinated or submit to weekly tests, as well as requiring vaccinations for federal employees, contractors, and hospitals […]
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Last week there were two new rules issued by the Biden administration regarding vaccine mandates. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an interim final rule (IFR), along with the Emergency Temporary Standards released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Providers Involved: Ambulatory Surgical Centers Hospice Agencies Psychiatric Resident Treatment Facilities […]
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Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule (CMS-1746-F) was released on July 29, 2021 by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Here is what you need to know about the Final Rule for Skilled Nursing Facilities. Thanks to the stakeholder comments received by the CMS they […]
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New HCPCS codes related to consolidated billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities goes into effect, Oct. 1, 2021. CMS states that this will impact any SNF that “bill Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for services provided to Medicare patients in a covered Part A stay in a SNF.” The full list of code changes are included below […]
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Last week the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) posted an interim final rule and Memo QS0-21-19-NH for infection control requirements for long-term care. These regulations go into effect on May 21, 2021. Do you have policies and procedures in place to avoid the F887 Tag? Memo QS0-21-19-NH Memo QS0-21-19-NH states that long term care facilities […]
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2022 that would update Medicare’s prospective payment system (PPS) rates for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). CMS estimated that the proposal would impact payment to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) Medicare Part A as an increase of around $444 million dollars […]
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Monitoring data in long term care can be the key to success. Five Star Ratings and PEPPER Reports are two data sources your organization needs to review to stay on top of industry changes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released revisions to the 5 Star Technical Users’ Guide, and with the […]
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Skilled nursing facilities are under intense pressure with all the new reporting requirements. Vaccinations, testing, PDPM, Quality Measures, Quality Reporting Program (QRP), staffing and infection control surveys are just a few of the items skilled nursing facilities are having to juggle these days. The only constant is change and the need to stay informed on […]
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CARMEL, Ind. (May 5, 2022) – Blue & Co., LLC is excited to announce our new partnership with Vsimple, a workflow management software company based in New Albany, IN. Blue & Co and Vsimple will be working closely together to address the workflow and process improvement challenges of manufacturers throughout the Midwest. “At Blue & […]
One of the most challenging conversations in any multi-physician practice or specialty-based hospital employed group is about how to create a fair distribution of on-call and/or inpatient hospital service coverage while balancing the duties of an outpatient practice. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to clinician burnout, and physicians and Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) place significant […]
By: Tom Skoog, Cybersecurity & Data Management Practice Leader Last month, we introduced the concept and importance of Incident Response Plans as part of overall cybersecurity. As stated previously, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a framework all incident response plans should consider, including: Preparation Detection & Analysis Containment & Eradication […]
