Posted by Jason Greis on March 28, 2010 under Articles | 
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...
Tags: bundling, CBO, cms, doctor, equipment utilization assumption rate, ffs, grassley, greisguide, greisguidetoltachs, Health Care and Education Affordability Act of 2010, hhs, hr 4691, imaging, independent payment advisory board, ipab, jason greis, long term acute care hospital, long term care hospital, ltac, LTACH, LTCH, medicare, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, MedPAC, obama, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, pha, physician, physician-owned hospital, primary care physician, radiologist, sgr, sustainable growth rate, tort reform
Posted by Jason Greis on June 2, 2009 under Whitepapers |
The current fervor to overhaul the nation’s health care delivery system has legislators discussing how to change the way post-acute care providers, including long-term acute care hospitals, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, are reimbursed for treating Medicare beneficiaries. One potential solution endorsed by both President Obama and the Senate Finance Committee entails bundling payments for acute and post-acute care services provided within the first 30 days after a Medicare beneficiary is discharged from an acute care hospital. Read More...
Tags: baucus, brent rawlings, bundle, bundling, grassley, greisguide, greisguidetoltachs, health system, home health, hospital, irf, j. brian jackson, jason greis, kennedy, ltac, LTACH, LTCH, mcguirewoods, obama, overhaul, post-acute, rehabilitation facility, senate finance committee, skilled nursing, snf
Posted by Jason Greis on April 3, 2009 under Articles, Whitepapers |
The current Congressional fervor to overhaul the U.S. health care system has some policy makers discussing how to change the way post-acute providers, including LTACHs, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient-based hospital rehabilitation facilities are compensated for treating Medicare beneficiaries. One solution proposed by President Barack Obama, the Congressional Budget Office, and certain congressional leaders is to bundle payments for acute care and post-acute care services provided within the first thirty days after being discharged from an acute care hospital. This bundling model has been proposed many times since the early 1980s as a measure to control escalating post-acute care costs, decrease the number of preventable acute-care hospital readmissions, and increase Medicare cost savings but has never received broad support-until now. Read More...
Tags: acute, budget, bundle, bundling, CBO, congressional budget office, greisguide, greisguidetoltachs, home health, jason greis, ltac, LTACH, LTCH, medicare, obama, post-acute, skilled nursing facility, snf
Posted by Jason Greis on March 1, 2009 under Articles |
LTACHs that are heavily dependent upon state Medicaid reimbursement should be aware that beginning Wednesday, February 25, the Federal government began distributing $15 billion in Federal funds to help states maintain their financially strapped Medicaid programs. Many Medicaid programs have not paid providers in months, which, in turn, has impacted many providers’ ability to pay for key services and supplies. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama last week sets aside a total of $87 billion in Federal funds for state Medicaid programs through increases in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). Read More...
Tags: $15 billion, american recovery and reinvestment act, ARRA, Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, FMAP, greisguide, greisguidetoltachs, hospital, jason greis, ltac, LTACH, LTCH, Medicaid, obama, state
Posted by Jason Greis on February 24, 2009 under Articles |
On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “ARRA”), commonly referred to as the federal stimulus bill. The ARRA contains several provisions — intended to promote the use of health information technology — that would significantly expand the scope of the privacy and security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). These changes, summarized below, include: Read More...
Tags: american recovery and reinvestment act, ARRA, BAA, business associate, business associate agreement, covered entity, Department of Health and Human Services, disclosure, federal trade commission, ftc, greisguide, greisguidetoltachs, health insurance portability and accountability act, hipaa, hospital, kimberly kannensohn, liability, ltac, LTACH, LTCH, marketing, minimum necessary, notification, obama, personal health information, personal health record, phi, PHR, privacy, ryan higgins, security
Posted by Jason Greis on February 20, 2009 under Articles |
The below article, written by my colleague Ruth L. Goodboe provides an overview of the status of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which has the ability to significantly impact all employers–not just LTACHs. Read More...
Tags: afl-cio, bargaining unit, binding arbitration, card check, efca, election, employee free choice act, greisguide, greisguidetoltachs, hospital, jason greis, labor, ltac, LTACH, LTCH, obama, ruth goodboe, SEIU, union, unite-here
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