The Center for Post-Acute Care represents the interests of
CHA member post-acute care providers, including inpatient
rehabilitation hospitals and units, long-term acute care
hospitals, distinct-part skilled-nursing facilities and home
health agencies. As a part of CHA, the Center for
Post-Acute Care serves as the primary public policy arm of the
hospital association for post-acute care issues.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host
a conference call May 31 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (PT) on the
coverage requirements for the inpatient rehabilitation facility
(IRF) prospective payment system. The call will address coverage
requirements for IRF admissions that went into effect Jan. 1,
2010. CMS personnel will present an overview of the requirements
and answer questions from providers. To register for the call, go
to www.eventsvc.com/blhtechnologies.
Presentation materials will be posted at least one day in advance
at
www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/NPC/National-Provider-Calls-and-Events.html.
Materials are now available from the May 1-2 Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services training conference on the Quality
Reporting Programs (QRPs) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities
(IRFs) and long-term acute-care hospitals (LTCHs). Section 3004
of the Affordable Care Act mandated the development and
implementation of IRF and LTCH QRPs. Beginning Oct. 1,
reimbursement will be reduced for IRFs and LTCHs that fail to
submit data on the required indicators. IRFs will be required to
submit data on New or Worsened Pressure Ulcers and
Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections. LTCHs will be
required to submit information on the same indicators, as well as
Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infections. The training
materials are available at http://totalsolutions-inc.com/natconference.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will
provide remote web access to a long-term-care hospital training
conference in Baltimore, MD. The conference will be conducted
from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PT) on May 1 and 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. (PT)
on May 2. To register for access to the live webcast, visit
www.conferencetech.com/webcasts/CMS/LTCHQRP/registration.php.
Additional information about the conference is available at
http://totalsolutions-inc.com/natconference.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold
a Special Open Door Forum April 19 from 10:30 a.m. to noon (PT)
on training opportunities for the new Inpatient Rehabilitation
Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program, which goes into effect
Oct. 1. To participate, call (800) 837-1935 and enter conference
ID 72722467. A transcript and audio recording of the call will be
available on the CMS website at http://tinyurl.com/bs67ck6. For
more information on the IRF Quality Reporting Program and
presentation materials, visit http://tinyurl.com/cuhsrpf.
The Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report
(PEPPER) has released hospital-specific data — with statistics
through the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011 — that includes
new indicators for long-term acute-care hospitals (LTCHs) and
inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). IRF reports include
two top case mix group (CMG) reports — top IRF CMGs and top CMGs
in the Medicare administrative contractor (MAC) or fiscal
intermediary (FI) jurisdiction. LTCH reports contain data on two
new target areas — "Outlier Payments" and "30-day Readmissions to
Same Hospital or Elsewhere." PEPPER provides hospital-specific
data statistics for Medicare discharges in areas that may be at
risk for improper Medicare payments. Hospitals can use PEPPER to
support internal auditing and monitoring activities. PEPPER is a
free report comparing a hospital’s Medicare billing practices
with other hospitals in the state, MAC or FI jurisdiction, and
nation. For more information, visit PEPPERresources.org.
The CalVet Veteran’s Resource Book is a guide for
all California veterans and their families to assist them in
utilizing all their potential entitlements and assist their
reintegration back into the community.
