Regulation

SNF Final Rule 2024 – Update

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Back a few weeks ago I did a post summarizing the 2024 Final PPS Rule for Skilled Nursing Facilities. Recall, these rules come out yearly, updating payment rates and other provisions impacting payment and some, impacting policy. Typically, the initial or proposed rule starts in spring and then after comments, etc., becomes final during the … Read more

Are Independent Primary Care Docs a Thing of the Past?

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The COVID pandemic illustrated a whole bunch of flaws, holes, and gaps within the U.S. health care system. To be fair, the pandemic illustrated flaws, holes, and gaps within U.S. society, government, the economy, etc. A trend that has been slowly moving forward seems to be accelerating through and post the pandemic and that trend … Read more

Senators Seek Survey Accountability for SNFs

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Last Thursday, Senators Bob Casey (Pennsylvania), Ron Wyden (Oregon), and Chucky Grassley (Iowa) sent a letter to CMS asking that the agency “take immediate steps to strengthen the nursing home oversight system”. Their letter is a follow-up to a report from the Senate Committee on Aging, chaired by Casey, detailing a myriad of problems with … Read more

Jobs Data and Staffing Status Update

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With reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics out this past week, the job market remains relatively strong and healthcare within the market, similarly strong. Unemployment remained at 3.6% and labor participation remained at 62.6% (same for last four months) and the percent of the population employed remained at 60%. For the month of June, … Read more

Friday Feature: Nursing and LTC

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Each Friday (hopefully so), I will take a specific topic that has been in the news or been directly posed to me by a colleague or a reader and do a bit of a deep dive feature. This week it’s the future of nursing or more directly, nurses in senior housing and long-term care. As … Read more

Upcoming Webinar: CMS Proposed Reform Rule for SNFs

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On August 20th, I will be conducting a webinar for HcPro on the CMS proposed rule to overhaul the existing federal Conditions of Participation for SNFs. Of a current 366 sections with the Code, CMS is proposing to change 212 sections.  This is the most sweeping overhaul of the federal code for SNFs since OBRA and PPS … Read more