Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
Medicare home health and hospice billing fraud has emerged as a significant issue within the U.S. healthcare system, costing taxpayers billions of dollars annually and jeopardizing the integrity of federal health programs. Fraudulent practices in this sector not only drain public resources but also compromise the quality of care provided to vulnerable populations, including the … Read more
Introduction House Republicans released a budget blueprint on February 12th that directs the Energy and Commerce Committee to achieve $880 billion in savings from fiscal years 2025 through 2034. GOP Budget Reconciliation Bill Draft Budget Overview The budget resolution does not provide specific instructions on how the committee should achieve the $880 billion in savings. … Read more
According to a Feb. 11 report by Chartis, 432 rural hospitals are at risk of closure. Chartis analyzed 15 indicators and identified 10 significant predictors, including Medicaid expansion status, average length of stay, occupancy, changes in net patient revenue, and years of negative operating margin. The full report is available here: CCRH WP – 2025 … Read more
Introduction Mr. Musk’s DOGE team has requested access to CMS systems, which manage over $1 trillion in annual payments, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. This initiative, led by Mr. Musk’s longtime associate Steve Davis, aligns with a broader effort to reduce federal spending by scrutinizing payments and contracts. Hospital and health … Read more
A bipartisan group of House representatives introduced a bill on Friday aimed at addressing and exceeding a pay cut for doctors that took effect at the beginning of this year. The legislation, known as the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025, seeks to mitigate the financial strain on physicians caused by the … Read more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the agency recovered $2.9 billion in resolutions to federal False Claims Act allegations for 2024 (fiscal year ending September 30). This is a slight increase from the historic $2.7 billion recovered in fiscal year 2023. Office of Public Affairs | False Claims Act Settlements and Judgments Exceed $2.9B … Read more
On Monday, January 20, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the U.S. While his claim of an election mandate is very debatable, the expectations that come with his return to office are many. Chief among these expectations is that he/his administration will “fix” the debt driven, inflation riddled economy of the … Read more
Since the pandemic (COVID), capital investment in senior living has been disjointed (to say the least). The pandemic constrained demand and as the economy rebounded from periods of lockdowns, supply shortages, work reductions, etc., inflation snuck in. In turn, to battle inflation, the Federal Reserve steadily raised interest rates. The rise in rates changed the … Read more
Last week via a member news release from Leading Age Minnesota, the specter of federalized Assisted Living regulation popped up. Per this release, legislation enabling federal assisted living regulation of some form is anticipated to be proposed by U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) prior to the year’s end. The primary outcome of what Senator Kelly … Read more
Back in 2019, CMS issued revisions to Appendix Q of the State Operations Manual pertaining to Immediate Jeopardy considerations (on the part of surveyors) and ultimately, citation decisions. This guidance was relevant for all provider and supplier types participating in Medicare (hospitals, home health, SNFs, etc.). In late October, CMS issued guidance on penalties. What … Read more