Health Care Reform Means Change For Skilled Nursing Facility Providers: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.
On July 14, 2009, the first of the health care reform bills came out of the gate: America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, a House bill, by the "Tri-Committee on Health Care". The following day, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) approved its own draft legislation, the Affordable Health Choices Act.
The next step will be a bill from the Senate Finance Committee, anticipated within the next several weeks. Markup will then begin and we will see if there will be a health reform bill ready for passage in August, as President Obama had hoped.
In the meanwhile, House Bill 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, provides some sense of Congress's attitude toward Medicare reform. To fund the universal health coverage required by the bill, the House Bill calls for tightening the Medicare payment belt over the next several years and changes in payment methodologies which will have significant impact on skilled nursing facility (SNF) providers.
There are three areas of critical importance to SNF providers in the House Bill. At least two of these areas likely will show up in the Senate bill in a few weeks. The three areas, and their potential impact on SNF profitability, are:
- Medicare payments to SNFs beginning in 2010 (negative)
- Bundled payments for post acute care (positive)
- Nursing facility transparency rules (negative)
Read the rest of the White Paper. . .
Contact Kathleen Griffin, Ph.D., National Director of Post Acute and Senior Services at 480-922-9366 or kathleeng@hdgi1.com to learn more about how these changes will impact your organization.
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| Health Dimensions Group
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Health Dimensions Group is one of the nation's leading health care management and consulting firms serving the needs of hospitals, health systems, long-term care, and senior health and housing providers.
We work closely with our clients to develop total solutions that respond to the unique challenges each organization faces. We would welcome the opportunity to assist you and your organization in meeting the challenges of tomorrow.
Some of our post-acute care services include strategic and business planning, integration strategies, and development of and operational improvements for post-acute care and senior services programs.
We are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Union, New Jersey. |
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