Kaiser Family Foundation Poll: Potential Impact of Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the Mid-term ElectionsOn September 9, 2014, the Kaiser Family Foundation issued its August - September 2014 Health Tracking Poll analyzing the potential impact … [Read more...] about Impact of ACA on Mid-term Elections; Beneficiary and Family-Centered QIOs; and More
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Observation Status: Hospitals May Begin Rebilling Medicare Patients Who Were Hospitalized After October 1, 2013
Medicare patients need to be aware that if they were hospitalized after October 1, 2013, hospitals may be contacting them about their bills.Final rules that were published in August 2013 and became effective October 1, 2013 created a new … [Read more...] about Observation Status: Hospitals May Begin Rebilling Medicare Patients Who Were Hospitalized After October 1, 2013
CMA Community News – August 2014
A Message from the Executive DirectorDear Community Members:We have been busy at the Center this summer- even with the lovely long, warm days. Our advocacy has been focusing on enhancing access to health services and medical equipment for … [Read more...] about CMA Community News – August 2014
New Resources to Help LTC Facility Staff Work with LGBT Older Persons and Their Families
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently issued a Survey and Certification Tool, with an introduction by Secretary Greenlee of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the Department of Health and Human … [Read more...] about New Resources to Help LTC Facility Staff Work with LGBT Older Persons and Their Families
Center for Medicare Advocacy Sues to Fix Broken Medicare Appeals System
On August 26, 2014, the Center for Medicare Advocacy filed a nationwide class action lawsuit in United States District Court (Lessler et al. v. Burwell, 3:14-CV-1230, D. Conn.). The five named plaintiffs, from Connecticut, New York and Ohio, have all … [Read more...] about Center for Medicare Advocacy Sues to Fix Broken Medicare Appeals System
Nursing Facilities Owned by Private Equity Firms: Fewer Nurses, More Deficiencies
A recent study in the Journal of Health Care Finance finds that Florida nursing facilities owned by private equity firms have fewer registered nurses and more deficiencies than chain-owned for-profit facilities and that the longer the facilities are … [Read more...] about Nursing Facilities Owned by Private Equity Firms: Fewer Nurses, More Deficiencies
Observation Status: Mixed Messages from Federal Government as Beneficiaries Continue to be Hurt
The use of “Observation Status” – treating certain hospitalized Medicare patients as outpatients when their care is indistinguishable from that of formally admitted inpatients – continues to garner considerable public and … [Read more...] about Observation Status: Mixed Messages from Federal Government as Beneficiaries Continue to be Hurt
Medicare and Telemedicine (or Telehealth)
On July 11, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed rules for the 2015 calendar year. Among these proposed rules, CMS adds four additions to covered telehealth services: psychoanalysis and … [Read more...] about Medicare and Telemedicine (or Telehealth)
Medicare Advantage Patient Bill of Rights Legislation Introduced in Congress
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are increasingly dropping doctors and other health care providers from their contracted networks, often in the middle of a plan year, when most plan enrollees are not permitted to change plans. MA enrollees often … [Read more...] about Medicare Advantage Patient Bill of Rights Legislation Introduced in Congress
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities and Skilled Nursing facilities: Vive La Difference!
A study assessing the outcomes of patients who were treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) with clinically and demographically similar patients who received their post-acute rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) finds … [Read more...] about Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities and Skilled Nursing facilities: Vive La Difference!