News

After the RAI manual updates were released for October 2018, an errata document was posted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website concerning J2000: Prior Surgery. In the Coding Tips on page J-35, there were three criteria for a procedure to be classified as major surgery and now there are only two criteria:   

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports are now available for review prior to the January 2019 public display of the performance data on the Nursing Home Compare site. Corrections to the underlying data are not permitted, but providers can request a CMS review if they believe their data scores are being displayed inaccurately. Requests for review must be made by Nov. 30.  

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the addition of new data to Nursing Home Compare. The following measures have been added: 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially published proposed changes to the public charge rule. The changes would deny entry to individuals seeking admission to the United States or adjusting their immigration status to become a permanent resident if there is any likelihood that the individual will become a public charge at any time in the future. Public comments are due by Dec. 10. 

LeadingAge will host a call with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to discuss resources for current and new Adult Day Services providers, specifically how to begin working with Veterans Affairs and how to resolve ongoing concerns. The call takes place Nov. 5 from 1 – 2 p.m.  

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has awarded a supplemental grant for $70,000 to the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) to address two critical issues in long-term care settings: involuntary discharges and opioids. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued guidance for Housing Trust Fund (HTF) grantees and the first report on the status of initial trust fund commitments in 2016. 

The Trump Administration is considering ways to strengthen enforcement of rules that require immigrants to demonstrate that they will not take advantage of public assistance programs after entering the United States. 

LeadingAge has updated the Medicare Part A Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (PPS) calculator and the Medicare Part B therapy rate calculator to help members assess and estimate the impact of final payment changes for FY 2019, which began on Oct. 1, 2018. 

Congress marked the beginning of fiscal year 2019 on Oct. 1 by passing the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, which covers many home- and community-based services programs. This was the first Labor-Health and Human Services appropriation to be enacted in over a decade. 

The Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program and Payroll-Based Journal are the featured topics of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Skilled Nursing Facilities/Long Term Care Open Door Forum this Thursday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. The full agenda includes: 

While Congress enacted five of the 12 appropriations bills before the Oct. 1, 2019 fiscal year, they were unable to reach agreement on the spending bill that included funding for affordable housing programs. A continuing resolution signed last week by President Trump will keep HUD and some other federal programs funded through Dec. 7. 

As we reported in August, new Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) PPS rates took effect for the year that began on Monday, Oct. 1. In addition to the updated base rates, Oct. 1 is also the first year of implementation of Value-Based Purchasing. 

A new webinar from LeadingAge national will help care center members get ready for the changes to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) that take effect Oct. 1.  

Managed care plans that contract with the federal government under Medicare or Medicaid must provide information to their enrollees about whether providers have conducted cultural competence training for their staff as well as the languages in which they can communicate. LeadingAge Minnesota members should anticipate seeing questions from their managed care plans. 

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) will hold a Preservation of Pre-1974 Section 202 Direct Loan Properties webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 9.    

The annual update to the RAI Manual has been released and contains some substantive changes for care center members. The updates are effective Oct. 1, so members will want to review these changes and make the necessary adjustments to their coding and transmission policies and practices.   

LeadingAge recently met with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (QRP) to help them better understand the noncompliance experience and identify process improvements to help reduce noncompliance in future years. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule this week to relieve burden on healthcare providers by removing unnecessary, obsolete or excessively burdensome Medicare compliance requirements for healthcare facilities. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared survey guidance relating to handwashing while assisting residents at meal time and to eye drop expiration dating.