Our long-term care news is continually updated from dozens of sources around our industry and the web.
McKnights (11/21/2022) – Provider Relief Fund audits have started in earnest, with the threat of federal investigators demanding more and different data than most skilled nursing providers have ever been asked to account for.
Audits will run in waves over the next two years, but there are key steps providers can take to keep the reporting and auditing process less stressful, experts emphasize.
First and foremost, document everything related to COVID-19 expenses, Brian Lee, a partner in Alston & Bird’s Healthcare Group, told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. Better, tie the documentation to the guidance that existed at the time of any spending decision. He said it’s a logical connection to what you were doing and when you did it in relation to the requirements of the program. Full story »
McKnights (11/17/2022) – Staffing, reimbursement and regulatory pressures may have given providers a black eye in 2022, but leaders well-versed in regulatory expectations will be ready to rise to new challenges in 2023.
That’s according to care expert Trish Richardson, MSN, RN, who led a webinar Wednesday on how providers can use lessons from a tough 2022 to forge a successful year ahead. Full story »
Skilled Nursing News (11/15/2022) – Leaders in the skilled nursing space have increasingly seen value in creating a primary care strategy, with some intending to become part of a risk-based model as part of that strategy — especially as acuity continues to be high among residents.
Operators looking to shift to such a strategy need a clear vision of how physicians will play a critical role in their organization, according to Stephen Taylor, principal and senior living and care segment leader at CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA). Reliable data to better understand their patient population is also a must. Full story »
McKnights (11/14/2022) – The federal government will extend the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration until at least April, according to published reports.
The development would be roundly applauded by long-term care operators, and other healthcare providers.
American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in August that the sector sorely needed extensions until at least April to create a bigger window to lobby state legislatures to enrich their Medicaid pay rates. Full story »
McKnights (11/10/2022) – Providers still struggling to accurately capture diagnoses that drive federal reimbursement will be doubly left behind as more states start to use Patient Driven Payment Model-like systems to determine long-stay Medicaid pay rates.
That was the warning Wednesday from reimbursement experts Vincent Fedele, chief operating officer of CORE Analytics, and Michael Sciacca, chief operating officer at Zimmet Healthcare Services Group. Full story »
McKnights (11/04/2022) – At least 19 states are actively implementing strategies to address direct care worker wages through reporting and/or enforcement mechanisms, a report issued this week by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices found.
“Although many healthcare providers have received rate increases through temporary federal COVID-19 relief and state funding, only a limited number of states have policies to ensure funds are passed on to direct care workers,” the report stated. “The direct care workforce represents a critical component of the United States employment market, yet pay remains low. States have taken a variety of actions through provider rate increases and minimum wage policies through the Medicaid program as two strategies to address recruitment and retention.” Full story »
Skilled Nursing News (11/03/2022) – As the SNF sector enters its third year under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), data analytics and consulting firms like Zimmet Healthcare Services Group are finding stark differences in reimbursement levels between top-performing operators and those at the bottom of the barrel.
For one, the top 10% of SNF providers have rates $70 over the average, while the bottom 10% of providers are $70 below the average. The difference is buried in nursing and non-therapy ancillary services, according to Zimmet Director of Analytics and Partner Vincent Fedele. Full story »
McKnights (11/01/2022) – In looking for the best answers on how to address historic staffing challenges in senior living, according to a “human capital” expert, the secret is to go back to the future.
“Get back to the basics of things we’ve known for decades,” said Karl Ahlrichs, a senior consultant at risk management adviser Gregory & Appel. He spoke on challenging perceptions about managing staff Monday during a LeadingAge membership call.
The “secret sauce” to retention in an industry that offers an “altruistic fulfillment of making a difference,” Ahlrichs said, is being a boss who listens to people. Building and maintaining relationships, he said, is the “golden skill.” Full story »