The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) has released a new provider letter with information on waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. You may access it here (PDF). This past September, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a waiver that allowed Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Texas to enroll in the waiver program through January 31, 2006. In response to providers' questions about beneficiaries whose eligibility is expiring, DADS stated that … [Read more...] about Hurricane Katrina Waivers, Computer Updates
Long Term Care At Home
As baby boomers age, costs for long term care will continue to grow, and states like Vermont are doing something about it. Vermont has instituted a program called Choice for Care, which allows all eligible recipients to choose long term care at home instead of a nursing home. Many elderly people probably prefer to remain at home and independent, and the program will allow them more flexibility to do so. The program sends 12 nurses across the state to assess the needs of Vermont's Medicaid … [Read more...] about Long Term Care At Home
Decisions for 41 Million
Medicare's new prescription drug program goes into effect in less that two weeks, and pharmacies and nursing homes are making preparations. About 41 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries will get to select plans that will cover part of the prescription drug costs. As I've written before, long term care providers are concerned that elderly patients, many of whom have cognitive problems, may not have the ability to make informed choices about coverage. "None of the residents in my facility … [Read more...] about Decisions for 41 Million
New CPR Guidelines From AHA
KidneyNotes.com posts about the new CPR guidelines. As the post notes, the highlights are: *The ratio of compressions-to-ventilations has been changed to 30:2 *Rescuers now deliver 1 shock (360J monophasic) followed by CPR, not 3 shocks *Lay rescuers no longer check for circulation *Many other algorithms have been simplified These are published in the Nov 29, 2005 issue of Circulation. KidneyNotes has formatted some easy links to the above for you to read. Click here to see … [Read more...] about New CPR Guidelines From AHA
CMS To Automatically Enroll Six Million Dual Eligibles
More Medicare prescription drug program controversy! The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will automatically enroll six million U.S. residents eligible for Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug plans who have not selected a plan by January 1, 2006. Dual eligibles not automatically enrolled will still be allowed to fill prescriptions at pharmacies. Consumer groups are concerned about beneficiaries' rights. They've sued the federal government, alleging that "CMS has failed … [Read more...] about CMS To Automatically Enroll Six Million Dual Eligibles
Clostridium difficile –Some Important Information from MedSleuth
MedSleuth makes some important points about C-Diff and you should all take note of this: Two facts about Clostridium difficile are of increasing concern. First, it is becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment, and second, it is being discovered in otherwise healthy individuals who have neither been hospitalized nor been on antibiotics . MedSleuth goes on to quote some other important facts: In another article in the New England Journal of Medicine, health officials said … [Read more...] about Clostridium difficile –Some Important Information from MedSleuth
New Regulations for Critical Access Hospitals
Last month the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memo to state survey agency directors that will affect certain providers. The memo (PDF) contains information about changes to statutory requirements for critical access hospitals (CAH). Instead of paraphrasing, I'll quote from the memo: The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), enacted on December 8, 2003, contained a number of modifications to the CAH statutory requirements … [Read more...] about New Regulations for Critical Access Hospitals
Long Term Care Providers and Foreign Drugs
It goes without saying that long term care providers are allowed to administer drugs to patients, and extra care is required when acquiring, receiving, dispensing and administering foreign prescription drugs. The attached letter (PDF) instructs state survey agency directors on what to do when providers administer foreign drugs. Foreign drugs that purport to be the same as Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs may be substandard and/or dangerous. Providers must make sure that foreign … [Read more...] about Long Term Care Providers and Foreign Drugs
Echoing the Senate, House Approves Medicaid Cuts
Earlier this month I wrote that the Senate Finance Committee approved a bill that would reduce Medicare and Medicaid spending by $10 billion over five years. The full Senate approved the bill on November 4, 2005, and the House of Representatives recently passed its version of the bill, which would cut Medicaid funding by $12 billion over five years. If both chambers of Congress approve the House version of the bill, expect the following changes: Medicaid co-payments may rise with … [Read more...] about Echoing the Senate, House Approves Medicaid Cuts
Home Health Care Providers Can Expect $370 million in 2006
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that Medicare payments to home health agencies will increase by 2.8 percent next year. Home health care providers, paid through a prospective payment system, can expect $370 million in payments in 2006. How are payment rates calculated? From the CMS web site: Home health payment rates are updated annually by either the full home health market basket percentage, or by the home health market basket percentage as adjusted … [Read more...] about Home Health Care Providers Can Expect $370 million in 2006