Trends

Staffing, Compliance, and Litigation Risk

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Not sure how many folks caught this brief article in McKnight’s….The article link is just below. https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcknights.com%2Fnews%2Fplaintiffs-lawyers-gaining-edge-against-nursing-home-with-staffing-issues%2F%3Futm_source%3Dnewsletter%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3DNWLTR_MLT_DAILYUPDATE_0329823%26hmEmail%3DIjP1GPaY%252BJ2uvsLxTJ79bVeRWY7ycbnr%26sha256email%3Daa4cb7c695037c31a216b9562788596b6fcd012145d566f31440b6fcd139c8a9&data=05%7C01%7C%7Cbc9c24d5cbe1440a07e908db314a2be7%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638157966865063653%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nvzAvsPBAwKo34DvYAWOf%2Fo5C0URgGaP4msv1jIubGk%3D&reserved=0 Post COVID, all of health care faced a seismic shift in staffing levels. COVID caused wide-spread disengagement in a labor force (clinical) already stressed in numbers. Retirements, especially of nurses, exploded. As COVID abated and the economy began … Read more

PDPM: First Blush Analysis

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One quarter (three months and change) down and PDPM appears to be mostly positive for SNFs.  CMS is reporting a higher average per diem payment level than under RUGs.  Despite some added coding complexity, paperwork burdens are down for providers (two MDS’ during most stays now vs. many under RUGs).  Anecdotally, the industry is seeing … Read more

SNFs: Five Issues and Trends to Watch…NOW!

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The beautiful, fascinating thing about health policy in the U.S. is its cycle of evolution.  It evolves, sometimes slowly and other times quickly but always, in a progressive (not in the political sense) direction.  Providers today can be lulled to sleep (quickly) by the vacuum drone of big policy lectures, webinars, etc., easily thinking for … Read more

Governance and PDPM: What Boards Need to Know

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I spend a good (ok, large) amount of time working with non-profit and privately held health care, post-acute and seniors housing organizations.  Nearly all of my work is at the C-level and above and frankly, my career as an executive was there as well (25 plus years).  Boards/governance bodies play a key role in the success and/or failure of … Read more

Site Neutral Payment Update

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In early October, I wrote an article regarding CMS 2019 OPPS (outpatient PPS) proposed rule, specifically regarding site neutral payments.  The purpose of the article was to address the site neutrality trend that CMS is on, streamlining payments to reduced location of care disparities for the same care services.  Succinctly, if the care provided is … Read more

Post-Acute, Site Neutral Payment Upcoming?

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In the 2019 OPPS (outpatient PPS) proposed rule, CMS included a site neutral payment provision.  With the comment period closed, the lobbying (against) fierce, it will be interesting to see where CMS lands in terms of the final OPPS rule – maintain, change, or abate.  The one thing that is for certain, regardless of the … Read more

SNF PPS Final Rule 2019

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Yesterday I wrote a quick post regarding the news that CMS was about to issue the SNF Final Rule for Fiscal Year 2019.  Today, the text is available.  Official publication in the Federal Register is set for August 8th.  Readers may access the text here: SNF 2019 Final Rule I will have analysis and more … Read more

Stuck in Neutral: Bundled Payments and Post-Acute Providers

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After CMS nixed the mandatory expansion provisions for Bundled Payments and reduced the metro areas participating in CJR (joint replacement), the prospects for post-acute provider involvement in non-fee-for-service initiatives (payments and incentives based on disease states and care episodes) went in to limbo.  With a fair amount of excitement and trepidation building on the part of the … Read more

Interoperability and Post-Acute Implications

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I’m not sure how many of my readers are following the subject and CMS stance/policy on interoperability among providers but the concepts and resultant debate are rather interesting.  I am trying to encourage as many clients and readers to tune-in on this subject as the implications are sweeping – positively and negatively. Interoperability in this … Read more

Home Health and Hospice: Strategic Movement in an Evolving Market

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Last year 2017, was a bit of a “downer” in terms of mergers/acquisitions in the home health and hospice industry.  Though 2017 was fluid for hospital and health system activity, the home health and hospice sectors lagged a bit.  Some of the lag was due to capacity concerns in so much that health system mergers, if … Read more