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Washington, DC – As the Obama Administration prepares to release its FY2013 budget later this week, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today issued its budget recommendations to the White House for consideration.  The patient-centered blueprint calls for specific funding increases in Medicaid while continuing current trends in Medicare funding for the long term and post-acute care programs.

“It’s budget season once again, and while our members and frontline staff would prefer to focus on care over dollars, the simple fact is they need resources to deliver that care,” said Governor Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “There are clear linkages between the budget, the size of our workforce, quality within our facilities, and care at the bedside.  We hope the President and Congress will consider rational funding levels as they weigh their own proposals in the coming weeks.”

To read the full article or view a copy of AHCA/NCAL's recommendations visit the AHCA/NCAL site.

 

Annual initiative once again calls on the Administration and Congress to bring long term and post-acute care to the forefront

In advance of President Obama’s annual address to Congress, the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today released its own assessment of the long term and post-acute care profession, citing significant and innovative movement in providing a higher level of quality care. Future cuts, however, could potentially impact that care, the Association said.

 “Our profession has made great strides, yet we are struggling to meet growing demand in the light of diminishing federal and state funding,” stated Governor Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “We have improved in quality. Many of our facilities are hiring doctors and reducing hospital readmissions. We have improved in delivering a variety of health care options for seniors. That significant progress could all be put at risk if policymakers continue to avoid serious discussions centering on how we are reimbursed.”

Read the full article at AHCA's site.

 

The annual HealthCap/HealthCap RRG Board election has been completed. Congratulations to incumbents Tim Chesney of MSTC Development Inc. (Ohio) and Ron Wilson of RFMS, Inc. (Illinois) who were re-elected to three year terms.  We are grateful to all the members who made their voices heard by casting ballots in this election and to all the nominees who offered their time and services in support of HealthCap.

The voting period is now complete, and results will be announced shortly.  We are grateful to all the members who made their voices heard by voting in this election and to all the nominees who offered their time and services in support of HealthCap.

A key component of the HealthCap member-focused structure is our board of directors, also known as the subscribers’ advisory committee. This committee is comprised solely of representatives from facilities that participate in HealthCap. Each fall, we hold elections to select members for positions whose terms have expired. This year we will be electing two directors from a field of four candidates. Voting will begin on December 1st and be open through December 31st. Voting codes will be mailed to policyholders of record as of November 1, 2011. Please take this opportunity to make your voice heard by casting your vote.

Vote now

The Annual HealthCap/HealthCap RRG Board election call for nominations was mailed to all HealthCap members on October 1, 2011.  Please keep an eye out for this important document, and submitt your nominations to us before October 28, 2011.  Please contact us if you have any questions.

Meet Peter Feeney, Angie Szumlinski, Evan Swedish and Jeff Mason from HealthCap at BOOTH 1039 at the 62nd Annual AHCA/NCAL Annual Convention and Expo.  We'll be discussing trends in risk management, discussing new insurance products and giving away a shiny new iPad.  More information can be found at http://www.ahcancal.org/events/ahca_convention/Pages/default.aspx.  HealthCap is proud to be the only insurance company endorsed by the American Health Care Association, the National Center for Assisted Living and 25 other state associations of long term and post-acute care providers.

HealthCap/Chelsea Rhone has joined the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's™ and has united in a movement to reclaim the future for millions. With more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's, and nearly 11 million more serving as caregivers, the time to act is now!

See how you can start a team or support ours at the Alzheimer's Association website.

 

Spend time with HealthCap in Las Vegas, Nevada at the 62nd Annual AHCA / NCAL Convention & Expo.  We will be meeting with our clients and discussing trends in LTC liability across the country.  Please stop by and visit us in booth number 1039.  

If your facility is in the predicted path of this storm, you should begin implementing your facility's disaster plan.  If you have any questions, please contact the SOS hotline at (877) 473-7773.  Our members-only disaster manual protocols can be found here.

Health care providers are trying to make a case against funding cuts to policymakers, who they say don’t seem to understand the price of care that nursing homes are providing, and the impact those cuts could have to the quality of that care, and to the economy.

With the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reducing Medicare reimbursement rates by 11.1%, effective October 1, and the possibility of further cuts looming in the future, some providers are wondering how they’re supposed to finance caring for more than 1 million nursing home residents, and an overall aging population. Data from the 2010 Census Bureau shows the 65 and older demographic increasing nearly 80% by 2030, and along with aging comes an increased need for health care.

“There comes a point in any sector when additional cuts can no longer be shifted, absorbed, or passed through to others.  For our profession, that tipping point is right now,” said Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association, in a statement.

The problem is that many policymakers have a skewed perception of the types of care given to residents in nursing homes, says Greg Crist, the head of public affairs for the American Health Care Association (AHCA).

Read the full story at Senior Housing News.

Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities will be 11.1% lower starting Oct. 1 according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The change will result in a net reduction of $3.87 billion for fiscal year 2012 was made to correct for an unintended spike in payment levels and to better align Medicare payments with costs.

“CMS is committed to providing high quality care to those in skilled nursing facilities and to pay those facilities properly for that care,” said CMS Administrator Donald M. Berwick, M.D. “The adjustments to the payment rates for next year reflect that policy.”

A report from the Department of Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that changes to how skilled nursing facilities bill their time led to an unexpected $2.1 billion increase in payments during the first half of 2011.  This increase in spending was primarily due to shifts in the utilization of therapy modes under the new classification system differing significantly from the projections on which the original adjustment was based.

“Additional data analyzed by CMS since publication of the proposed rule confirmed the extent of the overpayments that have occurred since implementation of the RUG-IV system,” said Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare. “We are also making several improvements to our payment system to strengthen its integrity.”

LeadingAge, a lobbying group for not-for-profits said it’s appalled by the cuts.  “We believe that any across the board cut is unwarranted and problematic, and one of this magnitude is unprecedented,” said Larry Minnix, chief executive officer of LeadingAge in a statement.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) said the cuts will threaten its ability to provide quality care to America’s seniors

 Read the full story at Senior Housing News.

As lawmakers in Congress move to the second phase of their negotiated deal to raise the federal debt ceiling, the American Health Care Association today stated that an automatic two percent cut to Medicare as originally proposed will disproportionately impact elderly residents and the providers who care for them.

"There comes a point in any sector when additional cuts can no longer be shifted, absorbed, or passed through to others. For our profession, that tipping point is right now," said Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living.

Read the full story at AHCA/NCAL.

Washington, DC – Governor Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), issued the following statement in response to the release of the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System final rule for FY 2012 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):  

“The CMS rule makes reductions beyond what is necessary for budget neutrality. This will threaten our ability to provide quality care to America’s seniors. Coupled with changes in group therapy definitions, this drastic reduction will be especially challenging for skilled nursing facilities to manage. 

Read the full story at AHCA/NCAL.