Swing Bed Groundwork must be in place. CAH and PPS swing bed programs need to understand the reason behind the initiation of swing beds and the reliance on understanding skilled nursing regulations to operate and successfully financially manage the program. Our education provides some historical, operational, regulatory, and management basics to review, both for existing […]
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memorandum, about changes to the Five-Star Rating system on Nursing Home Compare that will go into effect in April 2019. CMS has also revised and posted the Technical User’s Guide reflecting these changes. Important highlights of the changes are: CMS will end the survey freeze on […]
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On March 5, CMS announced updates coming in April 2019 to Nursing Home Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System. Per CMS, these changes will strengthen the tool for consumers to compare quality between nursing homes. These updates are to advance CMS’s goal to improve accuracy and value and promote quality improvement in nursing homes. […]
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In less than nine short months the RUG-IV payment system will be replaced by the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM). Did you know? RUG-IV payment system ends on September 30, 2019. All Medicare Part A payments on or after October 1, 2019, will be processed on the new PDPM. ICD-10 CM coding will be a key […]
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Significant dollar amounts have been recently awarded to those who have filed lawsuits against providers. Kentucky does not have a limit (cap) for the dollar amount for damages that one can recover if injured. A cap placed upon the amount of damages one can recover if injured would help to reduce some of the recent […]
Read MoreDon’t wait until the last minute to submit your data for the 2017 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance period. Now is the time to act. The key dates are: Passed: March 1, 2018, for your 2017 data for your performance category via claims March 16, 2018, (by 8PM EST), for group reporting via the […]
Read MoreThe newly proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget was recently announced for skilled and post-acute nursing providers. According to major trade groups, the changes for skilled nursing providers are not seen as positive. Payments for post-acute care providers would be changed, establishing a unified payment system based on the needs of patients, […]
Read MoreImplementation Timeframes **Note: These final regulations will be effective 60 days following the date of public inspection of this final rule in the Federal Register. ** Phase 1: Upon the effective date of the final rule (November 28, 2016). Phase 2: 1 year following the effective date of the final rule (November 28, 2017). Phase 3: 3 years […]
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By: Angela Crawford, CPA, Senior Manager The recently enacted Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 382 (2022) makes significant changes in the way not-for-profit organizations purchase and sell items exempt from sales tax. Sales tax information Bulletin 10 has been revised to reflect these changes. While sales tax-specific changes are detailed within the bulletin, here are the […]
Blue & Co. has performed many Emergency Department Leveling Reviews for hospitals. The two most utilized leveling criteria are “points-based” or “intervention-based.” In either case, each hospital must determine which facility resources (or attributes) to include within its criteria, and how these resources crosswalk into ED visit levels (99281-99285). This can create significant reimbursement differences […]
By: Tom Skoog, Cybersecurity & Data Management Practice Leader Cybersecurity for the construction industry is a growing challenge. The industry is moving towards digital connectivity, not only across the supply chain, but also ‘on site’ as more metrics related to performance, progress, and health & safety are monitored in ‘real time’. This increase in connectivity […]
