— “A proposed rule released Thursday would cause home health agencies to experience a 1.5 percent reduction in their Medicare payments for 2014, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates could reduce payments to these facilities by $290 million next year.” – News Medical
— “The Commission on Long-Term Care held its first meeting Thursday [June 28] on Capitol Hill with some members acknowledging that their late start adds to their challenges in offering Congress recommendations on how to finance the expensive services for seniors and disabled Americans.” – Kaiser Health News
— “Long-term care providers will need to draw up a strictly formatted contract with their hospice care partners, according to a final rule released Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The regulation clarifies the details of each contract and is effective Aug. 26.” – McKnight’s
— “Lawmakers may have an inaccurate understanding of skilled nursing facility margins based on outdated and partial information, the leader of the nation’s largest nursing home organization is cautioning. American Health Care Association President and CEO Mark Parkinson sent a warning letter Monday to House and Senate leaders.” – McKnight’s
— “Starting this month, CMS will begin automatically redirecting users from the current Nursing Home Compare website to data.medicare.gov to download information, according to a Survey & Certification memorandum released last Friday…The new website will feature updated layouts as well as additional information for download.” – McKnight’s
— “The American Health Care Association (AHCA) today submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency’s proposed rule for the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) for FY2014.” – American Health Care Association