Home Health & Hospice Week
Medicare Shines Public Light On Ownership, M&A Info
Look to a development for SNFs and hospitals to see what might be coming down the pike for home health and hospice next. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “is releasing data publicly — for the first time — on mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and changes of ownership from 2016-2022 for hospitals and nursing homes enrolled in Medicare,” CMS says in a release. “This data is a powerful new tool for researchers, state and federal enforcement agencies, and the public to better understand the impacts of consolidation on health care prices and quality of care,” the agency says. “By improving the quality of reporting by hospitals and nursing homes on ownership and consolidation, we also advance President Biden’s agenda to promote competition, lower health care costs for American families, and protect patients,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra says in the release. “Hospital and nursing facility consolidation leaves many underserved areas with inadequate or more expensive health care options,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure says in the release. “This new data gives researchers, state and federal enforcement agencies, and the public new opportunities to examine how mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and changes of ownership impact access to care, care quality, and prices as a way to enable greater transparency and insight into the hospital and nursing home industries.” CMS plans to update the data quarterly, it says.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Regulations:
New OASIS Q&As; Shed Light On Assessment Timing, GG130 Scoring
Plus: If you can’t get your ‘Services Provided’ data corrected in iQIES, you’re not alone [...] - Quality:
Say ‘Hello’ To HCI, HVLDL Measures In Next Month's Care Compare Refresh
CAHPS star rating on deck for August update. Soon potential patients, referral sources, and your [...] - Value-Based Purchasing:
6 Things Likely To Surprise You About Value-Based Purchasing
Tip: Your non-Medicare data counts too. Unless you’re ready to give up 5 percent of [...] - Reimbursement:
Check Out Your 12 Quality Measures For Expanded VBP
What exactly goes into those composite measures? While quality of care is always paramount, these [...] - Hospice:
Hospices Open Inpatient Facilities Around The Nation
VITAS operates 28 inpatient units. New hospice facilities continue to appear as need for the [...] - Industry Notes:
PHE Renewed Again — Maybe For The Last Time?
CMS pulls back certain inpatient hospice waivers. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra signed a ninth extension [...] - Industry Notes:
Are You Handling Your MA Hospice Payments Under VBID The Right Way When It Comes To Caps?
Medicare’s Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model’s Hospice Benefit Component is proving confusing. Note these two [...] - Industry Notes:
Use KX Modifier For NOAs Carefully, Or Risk MAC's Ire
Notice of Admission claims using modifier KX when they shouldn’t are in one MAC’s crosshairs. [...] - Industry Notes:
OIG To Examine Electronic Visit Verification In Upcoming Report
The HHS Office of Inspector General has put “Electronic Visit Verification System for Medicaid In-Home [...] - Industry Notes:
Medicare Shines Public Light On Ownership, M&A Info
Look to a development for SNFs and hospitals to see what might be coming down [...] - Industry Notes:
Beware Excluded Employees Or Pay The Price
Some recent Civil Money Penalty cases underscore why it’s important to check employees against the [...]
