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Scheduled Preventive Maintenance

Caring for the Ages
August 1, 2019

When I am on site for a visit, I talk to communities about the importance of having a schedule to conduct preventive maintenance on various pieces of equipment throughout the organization. Recently I experienced this process firsthand as I boarded a plane. First, the plane had been delayed by weather; then, as we passengers were buckling in, I heard the grounds crew tell the captain those very words: “scheduled preventive maintenance” followed by “it was not done, so this flight is now canceled.”

Seven Challenges Assisted Living Must Get Right

Caring for the Ages
August 1, 2019

The assisted living industry is fascinating, and opportunities abound to improve the lives of the fragile elderly. In this unique social setting, a diverse group of individuals is united by their need for assistance with managing their health care. This compels them to make enormous life changes as they embrace a new concept of “home.”

Algorithm Can Aid in End-of-Life Decision-Making for Unrepresented Residents

Caring for the Ages
August 1, 2019

Determining the management of incapacitated and unrepresented individuals is a distinct challenge health care team members face in the post-acute and long-term care setting, requiring them to shoulder the emotional burden of making end-of-life treatment decisions for these residents.

Caution Ahead! Updated List Tracks Hazardous Drugs in Elderly

Caring for the Ages
August 1, 2019

LOS ANGELES — The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) released a new version of the AGS Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults in early 2019, and care professionals immediately began poring over its updated recommendations — anything but an easy task.

What Pains PALTC Clinicians the Most?

Caring for the Ages
August 1, 2019

On a recent call with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), one of the CMS officials asked the leadership of AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine a very broad question: What pains post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) clinicians the most? What are they most concerned about? Without skipping a beat, Society’s leaders answered with their own question: Well, how much time do you have?

Baby, You Can Drive My Patient: Uber and Lyft Make Strides in Medical Transportation

Caring for the Ages
August 1, 2019

CareMore Health, a network of integrated medical clinics that serves 150,000 patients across the United States, has long faced the usual challenges of getting patients to appointments. The neediest patients, such as elders and those with chronic conditions, often didn’t show up on time or at all.

Decision Regarding Resolution E18

Weekly Roundup
August 1, 2019

MEMBERS ONLY CONTENT

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The Executive Committee reviewed the results of the general membership survey regarding resolution E18, which called for expanding Society general (voting) membership to doctorally prepared non-physicians. After extensive data gathering and discussion, no consensus emerged among the membership for an expansion of voting...

CMS Releases 2020 Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program Proposed Rules

Health Policy
Skilled Nursing Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Payment, Alternative Payment Models (APM), Merit-Based Incentive Program Payment System (MIPS), Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), Quality Payment Program (QPP), Practice Management, Practitioners
August 1, 2019

On July 29, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that includes proposals to update payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) on or after January 1, 2020. Also released was CMS’ proposed policies for the 2020 performance year of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). The Society will continue to review the rules and submit comments in September.

Here are some highlights of the PFS:

CY 2020 PFS Conversion...

Skilled Nursing Facilities Final FY 2020 Payment and Policy Changes Rule Released

Health Policy
Skilled Nursing Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)
August 1, 2019

On July 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule for FY 2020 Medicare payment rates and quality programs for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs). CMS projects aggregate payments to SNFs will increase by $851 million, or 2.4%, for FY 2020 compared to FY 2019. This estimated increase is attributable to a 2.8% market basket increase factor with a 0.4 percentage point reduction for the multifactor productivity adjustment.

The final rule also includes:

  • Payment policy
  • Sub-regulatory process for ICD-10 code revisions
  • ...

Physical Therapists' Ethical Dilemmas in Treatment, Coding, and Billing for Rehabilitation Services in Skilled Nursing Facilities: A Mixed-Method Pilot Study

JAMDA
August 1, 2019

Reimbursement in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) is driven by the number of minutes a patient receives rehabilitation. Physical therapists' (PTs) clinical decisions in evaluation and appropriate treatment of patients drive the dosing of rehabilitation services. Many times these 2 dynamics clash. The purpose of this study was to determine how PTs in SNFs viewed their ethical work environment, what primary issues drove their views, and what potential solutions were identified for the issues.