Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® “Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed transformative changes to the payment systems for services furnished by a range of medical facilities. The agency’s proposed payment rules also set out to continue to modernize Medicare through innovation in skilled nursing facility payment…… Continue reading BREAKING NEWS: CMS Announces Proposed Rules for “Transformative” Changes to Payment Systems

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® This is an Open Door Forum you don’t want to miss. The agenda shows a jam-packed meeting with lots of announcements on the just-released proposed changes to the case-mix classification system as well as information on other proposed changes, the 2019 SNF PPS Notice of…… Continue reading CMS Skilled/LTC Open Door Forum – Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® CMS has provided an updated LTCSP Procedure Guide that is effective May 6, 2018. This May 2018 version has 9 additional pages than the November 28, 2017 version had and there is a Table of Contents to help the reader find specific items. Additionally, this…… Continue reading CMS Updates Long Term Care Survey Process Guide and Training Module

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® Friday, March 30, 2018, CMS posted Transmittal #R4011CP and the corresponding MLN Matters -MM10567  to inform SNFs billing Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries that the “Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has revised the Skilled Nursing Facility Notice of…… Continue reading Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (SNF ABN)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® A February 2018 MLN Fact Sheet – Provider Compliance Tips for Skilled Nursing Facility Services – provides information for Physicians, non-physician practitioners (NPPs) and providers who bill for services related to beneficiaries in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs). Included in the 3-page Fact Sheet is some…… Continue reading SNF Provider Compliance Tips

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® Two weeks ago, CMS issued an Administrative Letter – Admin Info: 18-11-NH – reporting Federal oversight activities to “assure the adequacy of the SA’s (State Agency) survey performance following the implementation of the LTCSP.” In short, CMS is auditing how State Agencies are implementing the…… Continue reading Comparative Surveys of State Survey Agencies for the LTC Survey Process

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® On March 16, CMS posted updates to Medicare manuals “to correct various minor technical errors and omissions. Those changes are intended only to clarify the existing content and no policy, processing, or system changes are anticipated.” These updates are effective/being implemented as of June 19,…… Continue reading Medicare Manual Updates to Correct Errors and Omissions

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collaborating on the development of a free on-line training course in infection prevention and control for nursing home staff in the long-term care setting.   This announcement was…… Continue reading Specialized Infection Prevention and Control Training for LTC Staff – Spring 2019

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare® MedPAC (Medicare Payment Advisor Commission), in its March 2018 report to Congress, recommends “no payment update in 2019 for four FFS payment systems (long-term care hospital, hospice, ambulatory surgical center, and skilled nursing facility) and reductions of 5 percent of the base payment for the…… Continue reading MedPAC Recommends Cut for SNF Medicare Rates

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS relayed a reminder of today’s SNF/LTC Open Door Forum this morning.  Today’s posting now includes an additional announcement/update – Clarification on RCS-1 Status.  This topic is a welcome addition as all providers are anxious to hear more specifics, particularly regarding implementation, of this proposed…… Continue reading Today’s CMS Skilled/LTC Open Door Forum – RCS-1 Agenda Item Added