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HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency for an additional 90 days, to expire on Monday, October 18, 2021. The official HHS announcement is available here. (7/19/21)
Upon further review, some of CMS’s latest proposal isn’t so grand, James Berklan, Daily Editor’s Notes, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, July 16, 2021. “The devil’s in the details,” said Cynthia Morton about the doc fee proposal.
CMS’ Proposed 2% Medicare Rate Cut Keeps Therapy Providers in ‘Pretty Dire’ Straits, Jordyn Reiland of Skilled Nursing News, July 14, 2021. “A lot of our society looks to rehab therapy for a lot of things but with these continual reductions from CMS and Congress for no real reason, just trying to reduce what Medicare spends, it’s getting to the point now where it’s going to hurt access to care for beneficiaries,” said Cynthia Morton.
CMS surprises with therapy pay levels in 2022 Medicare physician fee rule, McKnight’s Long Term Care News, July 14, 2021. “It’s not looking too bad. It’s looking like CMS is not cutting all the specialties like they did in this current year,” said Cynthia Morton.
CY 2022 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Provider Enrollment Regulation Updates; Provider and Supplier Prepayment and Post-payment Medical Review Requirements Proposed Rule was released on July 13, 2021. The public inspection document is available here; it is expected to be published in the Federal Register on July 23, 2021. The deadline for comments is September 13, 2021. View NASL's items of interest to members email here. (7/13/21)
COVID-19 dealt a devastating blow to nursing homes — don’t let looming cuts make it worse, Cynthia Morton, Executive Vice President, NASL, Guest Blogger, McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 7/12/21. For more information about the pending Part B cuts, click here.
The OIG released a report entitled, COVID-19 Had a Devastating Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries in Nursing Homes During 2020 (OEI-02-20-00490), a data snapshot showing the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Medicare beneficiaries in U.S. nursing homes in 2020 (6/22/21)
NASL files comments on SNF PPS Proposed Rule for 2022, Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2022. (6/7/21)
Beginning August 2020, Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) resumed post-payment reviews of items and services with dates of service before March 2020. MACs may now begin conducting post-payment medical reviews for later dates of service. 6/3/21
Observation Stays Bill Reintroduced. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) reintroduced the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2021 (H.R.3650), which would help Medicare beneficiaries who are hospitalized in observation by requiring that time spent in observation be counted towards meeting the three-day prior inpatient stay. (6/1/21)
The Biden Administration released its Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request, a blueprint of what the President seeks to accomplish with the FY 2022 federal budget.
US Senate Confirms Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as CMS Administrator. The final confirmation vote was 55-44. NASL looks forward to working with new CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure. (5/26/21)
Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Rating System: Technical Users’ Guide State-Level Health Inspection Cut Point Table (5/21)
CMS issued a final rule, Medicare Program: Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model Three-Year Extension and Changes to Episode Definition and Pricing; Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Policies and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, to extend and change the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model. A fact sheet is available here. 4/29/21
Providers push Congress for permanent telehealth capabilities — pandemic’s ‘silver lining’: Long term care stakeholders are looking forward to telehealth policies remaining a “very, very hot topic” in Congress during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and beyond. McKnight's Long Term Care News (4/29/21)
As Medicare Advantage drives rate lower, fed-up CEOs embrace strategies that limit carriers’ influence: A panel of nursing home and senior living executives Friday called for more oversight in the face of the continuing shift. McKnight's Long Term Care News (4/26/21)
Nursing homes, ALFs asking for $15B more in federal funding to aid census recovery: AHCA is pushing to get an additional $15 billion injected into the Provider Relief Fund for SNFs and ALFs in order to boost recover throughout the industry. McKnight's Long Term Care News (4/26/21)
President Biden Signs H.R. 1868 to Suspend Medicare Sequestration Through December 31, 2021. (4/14/21)
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