The Social Security Administration has confirmed that the 2017 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Social Security beneficiaries will be 0.3 percent.

Memo lists Medicare Part A rates effective October 2017 and provides updates on other CMS initiatives included in the Final Rule.

Final Medicare SNF payment rule also addresses value-based purchasing and quality reporting.

Proposed rule containing the Physician Fee Schedule that governs Medicare Part B therapy rates was published July 15th.  

Providers with low Medicare utilization should consider applying for a waiver that would simplify their reporting requirements.

Along with a PPS rate update, CMS proposal contains new reporting measures and provides details on the value-based purchasing hospitalization measure.   

Next phase of national initiative to reduce avoidable hospitalizations likely to include additional New York City area nursing homes. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a new dataset, the Skilled Nursing Facility Utilization and Payment Public Use File (SNF PUF).  The data file details facility level utilization data for CY2013 and is being trended for utilization patterns in RUG distributions, length of stay, therapy minutes per RUG, and other data to provide keys to current utilizaiton in each SNF.