On March 11, 2015, the Diane Rehm program on National Public Radio hosted a discussion of the revisions to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS’s) Five Star Quality Rating System for nursing homes.[1] Patrick Conway, … [Read more...] about National Public Radio Program Features CMS’s New Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes
Weekly Alert
Antipsychotic Drugs and Nursing Home Residents: What Do the Different Numbers Mean?
Last week’s Alert discussed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent report on antipsychotic … [Read more...] about Antipsychotic Drugs and Nursing Home Residents: What Do the Different Numbers Mean?
Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to Draft 2016 Call Letter for Medicare Parts C and D
Every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) releases a draft of payment, performance and other rules that apply to Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plans that choose to participate in the Medicare program in the following … [Read more...] about Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to Draft 2016 Call Letter for Medicare Parts C and D
Has CMS’s Partnership with the Nursing Home Industry Really Reduced the Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotic Drugs by Nursing Home Residents as Much as CMS Claims? No.
In September 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)[1] reported that the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care had reduced the use of antipsychotic drugs with nursing home residents by 15.1%, “exceeding” the … [Read more...] about Has CMS’s Partnership with the Nursing Home Industry Really Reduced the Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotic Drugs by Nursing Home Residents as Much as CMS Claims? No.
Changes to Nursing Home Compare and the Five Star Quality Rating System
Two-Thirds of Nursing Facilities Nationwide Will See Decline In their Quality Measures; One-Third of Facilities Will See Decline in Their Overall ScoreAs promised in October 2014,[1] the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has … [Read more...] about Changes to Nursing Home Compare and the Five Star Quality Rating System
2016 Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D Final Rule Issued
On February 12, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published final rules entitled “Medicare Program; Contract Year 2016 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit … [Read more...] about 2016 Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D Final Rule Issued
Medicaid Expansion Update
As originally enacted, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) required each state to expand Medicaid eligibility to 138 % of the Federal Poverty Level. However, the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court’s decision National Federation of Independent … [Read more...] about Medicaid Expansion Update
The President’s Proposed FY 2016 Budget: The Impact on Medicare
On Monday, February 2nd, President Obama unveiled his Fiscal Year 2016 Budget.[1] For an overview of the budget’s Medicare-related provisions, including both projected costs and savings to the Medicare program, see the Kaiser Family … [Read more...] about The President’s Proposed FY 2016 Budget: The Impact on Medicare
“Until there is a cure, technology is the cure.”
(Steve Gleason, on living with ALS and utilizing a speech generating device.)The Steve Gleason Act of 2015, recently introduced in the House and the Senate, is a good first step toward ensuring continuous Medicare coverage for individuals who … [Read more...] about “Until there is a cure, technology is the cure.”
CMS Tool for Assessing Civil Money Penalties Imposed Against Nursing Facilities Continues to Ensure that Penalties Will Remain Low
Civil Money Penalties for nursing facilities have historically been too low to provide meaningful incentive for most facilities to comply with federal standards of care implemented to ensure patient safety and well-being. The new Civil Money Penalty … [Read more...] about CMS Tool for Assessing Civil Money Penalties Imposed Against Nursing Facilities Continues to Ensure that Penalties Will Remain Low