Why Pre-admission Screening Matters to Post-Acute Care Institutions

Posted by Jason Greis on August 24, 2010 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

The federal government pays more than 40% of all money spent on healthcare in the U.S. and it is focused like never before on managing those costs. Along with reducing already low reimbursement levels, CMS will look to two primary means for cost reduction–utilization and admissions review and reimbursements tied to outcomes. For post-acute care facilities this translates into a single imperative – “admitting the appropriate patient”. Read More...

2011 Medicare Payment Update for Post-Acute Care Providers

Posted by Jason Greis on August 3, 2010 under Articles | Read the First Comment

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has recently released various notices and final rules updating 2011 Medicare payment rates for post-acute care providers, including long-term acute care hospitals (“LTACHs”), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (“IRFs”), skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”), home health agencies (“HHAs”) and hospices.  These Medicare rate updates generally implement negative payment adjustments mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. No. 111-148), as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-152) (together, “PPACA”).  Yet in spite of these adjustments, SNFs, hospices, IRFs and LTACH have fared relatively well with collective Medicare payment increases totaling $919 million, with HHAs offsetting these reimbursement gains by suffering a proposed $900 million Medicare reimbursement cut for calendar year 2011. Read More...

McGuireWoods 2010 North Carolina Healthcare Provider Conference and Post-Acute & Senior Care Conference

Posted by Jason Greis on June 22, 2010 under Events, eNewsletter | Be the First to Comment

2010 North Carolina Healthcare Provider Conference and Post-Acute & Senior Care Conference Read More...

Post-Acute Care Investments: Key Business, Deal Structure and Diligence Issues

Posted by Jason Greis on under Events | Be the First to Comment

Post-Acute Care Investments:
Key Business, Deal Structure & Diligence Read More...

When MedPAC Speaks Congress Listens: What the Inclusion of MedPAC Health Care Delivery Reform Proposals in Health Care Reform Legislation Means for Physicians

Posted by Jason Greis on March 28, 2010 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

On March 1, 2010, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (“MedPAC” or the “Commission”) released its 2010 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy (the “Final Report”) recommending annual Medicare payment updates for Medicare fee-for-service (“FFS”) payment systems, including among others, hospitals (including both general acute care and long term care hospitals) and physicians.  MedPAC is an independent congressional agency established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to formulate recommendations to Congress to address quality and cost-containment issues affecting the Medicare program and its beneficiaries.  Two reports, issued in March and June each year, are the primary outlets for MedPAC’s policy and payment system updates, which change base rates paid by Medicare for a unit of service provided by a FFS provider—for example, a hospital admission or a physician visit or procedure.  Recommended payment system updates are based on an assessment of payment adequacy that takes into account beneficiaries’ access to care, supply of providers, quality of care, providers’ access to capital and Medicare margins.  Read More...

Illinois Not-for-Profit Property Tax Exemptions, Charity Care and the Provena Decision

Posted by Jason Greis on March 23, 2010 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

Late last week the Illinois Supreme Court (the Court) issued its long-anticipated decision in the case of Provena Covenant Medical Center v. Illinois Department of Revenue (Provena). The Court’s opinion, delivered by Justice Karmeier, upheld the Illinois Department of Revenue (Revenue) Director Brian Hamer’s ruling that Provena Covenant Medical Center, located in Urbana, Ill. (PCMC), did not provide enough charity care services to justify the continuation of its charitable purpose property tax exemption. The Court’s opinion noted that PCMC’s parent company, Provena Hospitals, was the true property owner of PCMC, and that Provena Hospitals itself was not a charitable institution nor did it primarily serve charitable purposes. Furthermore, the Court held that PCMC provided only minimal levels of charity care thus the property was not being primarily used for charitable purposes. The Court’s decision will be problematic for not-for-profit hospitals, including LTACHs, because it leaves a key question unanswered—just how much charity must a hospital provide to justify an exemption? The decision is expected to encourage local taxing bodies to pursue efforts to remove tax exemptions of not-for-profit hospitals and other providers. Read More...