Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
Political and health policy information specific to Wisconsin
This case caught my attention back in March as it raises issues that I commonly hear about namely, staffing agency costs and possible abuses in terms of actual time worked v. time billed by the agency. My March post is available here: https://rhislop3.com/2024/03/28/skilled-nursing-operator-takes-legal-action-against-staffing-platform-for-alleged-overbilling/ Nursa, an electronic staffing application company based in Utah, filed a lawsuit … Read more
A recent federal funds rate cut by the Federal Reserve of 50 bps has created a bit of optimism in the M&A and capital development arena for senior living and senior housing. The expectation of more Fed rate cuts going forward undergirds the optimism BUT…Overall economic conditions remain sketchy including inflation which, ticked a notch higher … Read more
Marsh (largest insurance broker in the world) recently released its 2024 General and Professional Liability Report 2024-General-Professional-Liability-Benchmark-Report-MAR-USA. The report includes data from fifty senior living and long-term care providers comprising 10,300 closed claims with paid indemnity and expense value of $1.87 billion across a ten-year horizon. The ten-year data was used by Marsh to forecast … Read more
Here’s an oldie but a goodie for today. The House Ways and Means Committee is reportedly considering a markup of legislation this month that would revamp Medicare’s physician payment system. This move could increase the likelihood of incorporating a “doc fix” into a lame duck legislative package. Historic readers and followers of Reg’s Blog will … Read more
Tonight’s presidential debate should be policy focused but likely, won’t be or won’t be with sufficient detail. There are a ton of policy issues that should be discussed. Healthcare policy, in my opinion, should be very much a topic of open and frank discussion. I know I am a geek when it comes to economic … Read more
Nursing assistants are anticipated to experience the largest projected shortfall among all healthcare occupations analyzed, with an expected national shortage exceeding 73,000 assistants by 2028. This projection is based on a report by Mercer, which also predicts a nationwide deficit of over 100,000 healthcare workers by the same year. The demand for nursing assistants is … Read more
Late last year, CMS proposed a final rule to address the issue of coverage denials or service denials via prior authorization on behalf of Medicare Advantage Plans. Between providers and patients, coverage issues have significantly increased as beneficiary participation has increased (today, about 1 in 2 Medicare beneficiaries is in a Medicare Advantage plan). https://rhislop3.com/2023/11/09/cms-offers-fix-to-medicare-advantage-denials/ … Read more
With increasing older adult demand for hospital care, an ongoing wave of nursing home closures is creating post-acute access issues. Since 2020, 774 nursing homes have closed, and only seven new facilities opened in 2024. The primary driver for closure is a nationwide shortage of qualified clinical staff, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. The pandemic … Read more
The U.S. spends more than any other world nation on healthcare – gross dollars and per capita. The systemic growth of spending continues at rate beyond inflation, spurred-on by an aging demographic and chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity. Cost growth in programs like Medicare is rampant but then again, so is fraud. Federal spending … Read more
The Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC) has launched two new specialty credentials for organizations providing home care and/or hospice. These programs are in line with the Age-Friendly Health Systems (Care) programs and initiatives started by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and … Read more