11/1/2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the latest Skilled Nursing Facility Provider Preview Reports for the Post-Acute Care Quality Reporting Program. If you are a skilled nursing provider, this is your opportunity to review your facility’s quality data before it goes public on Care Compare during the January 2025 refresh.
10/29/2024
Long-term care providers face a unique challenge: how do you deliver consistent, high-quality care while maintaining financial stability? The Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, also known as the Baldrige Excellence Framework, provides a systematic approach that can help healthcare organizations sharpen leadership, achieve strategic goals and improve overall performance. In this guide, we’ll explore what the Baldrige Excellence Framework is and its potential benefits for long-term care providers.
10/25/2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently issued updates to the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (ABN), Form CMS-10055. This form is critical for healthcare providers to notify Medicare beneficiaries when services they are receiving may not be covered by Medicare, and that the patient may be responsible for paying out-of-pocket.
10/1/2024
Beginning in October and continuing through December 2024, CMS is requiring action from all SNF providers to report additional data on ownership, managerial, and related party information not previously required during the revalidation process. Importantly, this new requirement may dramatically expand the definition of who must be considered an additional disclosable related party.
9/27/2024
As of October 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is introducing new measures to its SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program for FY 2026 with a performance period FY 2024 (10/1/23-9/30/24), signaling a shift towards a broader evaluation of SNF performance.
8/14/2024
New, revised guidance for the CMS Facility Assessment tool requirement (F838) is now in effect, and providers need to be prepared to avoid non-compliance. While this tool was initially designed to be reviewed annually and include information on both the resident population and the resources required to provide adequate care, additional provisions have been defined which expand the scope of the tool and impose new expectations on providers.
8/6/2024
Last week, CMS issued the final rule for the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) for the fiscal year 2025 update. Below are some of the key highlights of the final rule:
7/30/2024
The 2025 Proposed Rule for Home Health Agencies (HHAs) set forth by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suggests significant changes for HHA providers. Continue reading to view the proposed changes.
6/25/2024
Attention Florida healthcare providers! Medicaid payments typically scheduled for Thursday, July 4th, will not be available until Monday, July 8th due to the Department of Financial Services being down for fiscal-year-end closing processes and the July 4th holiday.
4/8/2024
We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer Ziolkowski, MBA, CLSSYB, and Kelly Smith, PhD, CPHQ, CLSSBB, as directors in the firm’s existing healthcare consulting practice!
4/8/2024
April & May are busy months for financial compliance and particularly for Florida Skilled Nursing Providers! Check out these upcoming deadlines for financial reporting.
2/5/2024
Late last year, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the release of CMS Form 287-22, better known as the Home Office Cost Statement. The new form is effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2022, and supersedes the previously used form, 287-05. Learn more!
10/3/2023
For Medicare Part A providers, bad debt can be an important yet tricky subject. Since bad debt is a key area of focus for the clients we serve, the Healthcare Team at Saltmarsh wanted to highlight some of the crucial points from Chapter 3 of Part 1 of the Medicare Provider Reimbursement Manual.
9/14/2023
For all Skilled Nursing Providers in Florida who accept Medicaid: On September 5th the Agency for Healthcare Administration published the final Medicaid Nursing Home Reimbursement Rates for the rate-setting period beginning October 1, 2023. Learn more in this Saltmarsh Siren!
9/13/2023
On September 5th AHCA published a Notice of Change to the proposed Florida Nursing Home Uniform Reporting System (FNHURS). This change updates and clarifies the definition of “Home Office” in proposed rule 59E-4.101, establishes the circumstances under which consolidated audits may be utilized... learn more in this Saltmarsh Siren!
8/9/2023
On July 31, 2023, a final rule to update Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities under the SNF PPS system was issued by CMS for fiscal year 2024. Key updates include changes to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program for FY 2024 and beyond, as well as the adoption of a measure to address staff turnover.
3/8/2023
As a reminder, the PRF Reporting Period 4 opened on January 1, 2023, and will remain open through March 31, 2023. Reporting Period 4 covers PRF payments received between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. Providers who received aggregated PRF payments of more than $10,000 should be prepared to report on their use of these funds. The Reporting Period 4 Period of Availability runs from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022.
12/15/2022
Get ready, PRF Reporting Period 4 opens January 1, 2023, and will remain open through March 31, 2023. Reporting Period 4 covers PRF payments received between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. Check out the latest Saltmarsh Siren to learn more about this reporting update and upcoming deadlines!
10/5/2022
As a reminder, Florida’s new $15/hour minimum wage requirement for providers participating in the Medicaid program went into effect on October 1, 2022. The new Florida Medicaid Fee-For-Service Schedules reflecting the increases related to the mandatory $15/hour minimum wage have been published and are available on AHCA’s website.
9/14/2022
Florida’s budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 is providing more than $600 million in new funding for the sole purpose of increasing the minimum wage for employees of Medicaid providers to at least $15 an hour. This new funding, which goes into effect on October 1, 2022, comes with significant new compliance risks, including new requirements for participation in the Medicaid program and a new civil cause of action for non-compliance.
7/14/2022
If you received any funding from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), chances are, you’ve already had to report your use of funds in either reporting period one or two, and you know how complicated the process can be. In fact, according to the 2022 BDO Healthcare CFO Outlook Survey, 35% of the respondents identified CARES Act/PRF reporting as a regulatory concern.
7/7/2022
HHS Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period 3 opened on Friday, July 1st, and will remain open through Friday, September 30th, at 11:59 PM (EST).
4/20/2022
Join a powerhouse group of speakers, including Andrew Kent, Esq., CVA, CHC, Saltmarsh Healthcare Shareholder, on May 6, 2022, at the Florida Southern College Fraud Conference!
4/11/2022
The Late Reporting process is intended for providers who were required to report on their usage of Provider Relief Fund payments but were prevented from doing so due to one or more allowable extenuating circumstances.
3/29/2022
Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period 2 Closes Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 11:59 PM (EST). Providers who received one or more General and/or Targeted Provider Relief Fund Payments between July 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and totaling more than $10,000 in the aggregate must complete their reporting...