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Friday, October 18, 2019

Best of Week

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New Networking Event: Post-Acute Care Forum

This event is specifically designed for decision-makers at skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies (Manager, Director, Owners/Operators, or VP), who have projects in the pipeline and are actively sourcing solutions. Apply Here

Home Health

New change request outlines rebuttal process for providers with deactivated Medicare billing

CMS has issued a change request outlining the rebuttal process for providers or suppliers whose Medicare billing has been deactivated. CR 10978 provides instruction to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to advise providers of rebuttal rights and how to receive and process rebuttals. The change request takes effect Dec. 31, 2019. Providers can submit a rebuttal …

Skilled Nursing Facility

Study finds half of SNFs to be unprofitable

Approximately half of SNFs are not operating at a profitable level, according to the 34th SNF Cost Comparison and Industry Trends Report, released on October 10 by consulting firm CLA. The report found that the 75th percentile of SNFs had an operating margin of 4.5% in 2018, while the bottom 25th percentile had margins of …

Featured Product

Monthly In-Service: October issue of CNA Training Advisor

Learn about the circulatory system. Get the latest issue to receive a new lesson plan, including course materials, a 4-page in-service, and a quiz targeted to address the unique needs, interests, and concerns of CNAs.

Assisted Living

More than half of states updated assisted living regulations in past year

The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) released the 2019 edition of the “Assisted Living State Regulatory Review” on October 3. The review found that 27 states updated their assisted living regulations, statutes, and policies between June 2018 and June 2019. The most common state regulations updated aimed to enhance resident protections, with the most …

Skilled Nursing Facilities

AHCA raises concerns with CMS’ proposed abuse warning icon

Just a week after the CMS proposal to add a warning icon to the Nursing Home Compare pages of SNFs with a history of abuse, The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has called for a less severe logo. In an open letter to CMS administrator Seema Verma, AHCA president and CEO Mark Parkinson recommended a …

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care

Tip and tool: Implementing an EHR

Unlike acute care, postacute facilities have always strug-gled to implement electronic health records (EHR) for internal clinical documentation. EHRs can be vastly use-ful and efficient, and under the right circumstances, they can even prevent errors. However, choosing and imple-menting an EHR system is much more than a technical issue; it requires careful consideration and planning.