Medicare beneficiaries will not have to pay more than $2,000 per year for their medications, and beneficiaries with diabetes will not have to pay more than $35 per month for insulin, under the terms of...
Minimum staffing levels would cost nursing homes $10 billion a year: report
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jul 20, 2022
The federal government’s proposed minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes could cost the industry $10 billion a year because tens of thousands of additional caregivers would need to be hired,...
Alabama, Michigan, Florida lead nation in Medicare Advantage enrollment rates
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jun 16, 2022
Medicare Advantage enrollment rates now top more than 50% of Medicare enrollees in 123 congressional districts, according to new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data analyzed by the Better Medicare...
Staff COVID-19 vaccinations have risen 25 percentage points under CMS mandate
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
May 18, 2022
COVID-19 vaccination rates among nursing home staff jumped 25 percentage points nationally thanks in no small part to a CMS mandate imposed earlier this year.
States renew request for U.S. Supreme Court to block healthcare worker vaccine mandate
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
May 17, 2022
Attorneys general from nine states on Thursday renewed their request for the U.S. Supreme Court to review the legality of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, which they...
SNF occupancy continued slow recovery through December, NIC says
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Mar 08, 2022
Skilled nursing facility occupancy in December 2021 hit its highest level since May 2020, according to data released Thursday by the NIC Skilled Nursing Data Initiative.
Healthcare-related False Claims Act settlements, judgments top $5 billion
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Feb 03, 2022
Healthcare industry-related settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims uncovered by the Department of Justice in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021, topped $5 billion,...
Competition drives Medicare Advantage plans to expand nonmonetary benefits, which can save LTC providers...
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jan 21, 2022
The number of Medicare Advantage insurers has doubled over the past year, leading to expanded coverage beyond medical needs, according to a report released Wednesday from ATI Advisory. The nonmonetary...
States don’t wait as fate of federal COVID vaccine mandates remains uncertain
By
Lois A. Bowers
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Jan 10, 2022
As employers wait to see whether the Supreme Court will issue stays against federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Skilled nursing occupancy increases are beginning to slow: NIC report
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Nov 12, 2021
Although skilled nursing occupancy increased for seven consecutive, NIC MAP data reported a slowdown in August in its November skilled nursing monthly report.