New Policy Paper Examines Impact of Medicare, Medicaid Payment Reductions on U.S. Nursing Facilities (NFs)

WASHINGTON, March28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Noting which sufficient levels of skilled nursing staff have been essential to providing high quality caring as well as reducing unnecessary, costly hospital readmissions, a new Spring 2012 Care Context illness process paper released today by a Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (AQNHC), with analytic support from Avalere Health, examines a cumulative disastrous impact of Medicare as well as Medicaid remuneration reductions upon nursing comforts (NFs).Reports Care Context: "As part of a 'Middle-Class Tax Relief as well as Job Creation Act of 2012' upheld in February, Congress cut Medicare payments to nursing comforts by reducing reimbursement for so-called Medicare 'bad debt' Medicare co-payments not made by beneficiaries or state Medicaid programs. Facilities have no legal avenue to collect bad debt from state Medicaid agencies."Alan G. Rosenbloom, President of a Alliance, observed which even before to passage of a law in Feb which reduced what he said is actually "uncollectable debt as mandated by federal law," a economic stability of a U.S. NF sector was already compromised by a series of Medicare as well as Medicaid appropriation reductions. These embody a 3.3 percent case-mix adjustment in a FY 2010 rule; a market-basket productivity adjustment beginning in FY 2012 as part of a Affordable Care Act (ACA); as well as an August 2011 rule mandating an immediate (as opposed to a phased-in) 11.1 percent rebate to Medicare nursing facility remuneration rates. Additionally, a Care Context reports, 32 states enacted or proposed NF rate cuts or remuneration freezes in 2012.According to an Avalere survey of NFs, a accumulation of cuts is carrying a disastrous impact upon approach use staff, new hiring, wage rates, benefits, as well as new facility building a whole as well as expansion. "Often, nursing comforts have little more than dual to three months to prepare for these cuts, as well as this unpredictability in appropriation makes it cryptic to plan from year to year," Rosenbloom observed. Still more one more remuneration reductions have been looming, a study says, noting a Budget Control Act of 2011 mandates which a deficit be reduced by either enactment of legislation, or by sequestration. As Congress unsuccessful to make recommendations for deficit-cutting measures, NF remuneration rates may be reduced by an one more 2 percent as of January 1, 2013."As a year progresses, we intend to make clear which appropriation rebate after appropriation rebate is no surrogate for rational policymaking which can help patients as well as help stabilise a key U.S. illness sector already slated to absorb $48 billion in appropriation cuts between FY 2012-21," Rosenbloom continued. "Rationalizing post-acute payments can save resources without undercutting provider infrastructure, for example."Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health, also pointed out which a job loss chronicled in a Avalere survey is particularly troubling in light of a government's interest in caring coordination to improve quality as well as reduce cost. "Federal government process is appropriately focused upon ensuring which there is seamless caring between a acute as well as post-acute caring setting as evidenced by new re-admissions penalties which hospitals will incur starting in Oct 2012 when re-admission rates have been too high," he said. "NFs have been a critical partner for acute caring comforts as well as integrated healthcare systems in achieving a goal of caring coordination."Contact:Rebecca Reid410-212-3843Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

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