Howard Sollins on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

CMS Revises Immediate Jeopardy Guidance: Key Updates for Providers

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued QSO-25-09-ALL on November 21, 2024, revising Core Appendix Q guidance to the State Operations Manual on Immediate Jeopardy. Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) is the...more

12/4/2024 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Enforcement Actions , Fines , Health Care Providers , Healthcare Facilities , Long Term Care Facilities , Nursing Homes , Regulatory Requirements

Nursing Homes a Top Area of Focus in Presidential State of the Union Address

As part of his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Joe Biden focused on nursing homes as among the most important issues our nation is currently facing. While his speech did not devote a lot of time to the...more

3/3/2022 / Biden Administration , Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Medicaid , Medicare , Nursing Homes , Skilled Nursing Facility

CMS Announces Changes to Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes and Responds to FAQs

Five Star Quality Rating System Changes - On March 23, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it was temporarily postponing routine facility inspections for nursing homes so it could...more

5/1/2020 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Coronavirus/COVID-19 , Delays , Government Investigations , Guidance Update , Health Inspections , Infectious Diseases , Nursing Homes , Public Health Emergency , Public Safety , Relief Measures , Star Ratings

Essential Revisions to CMS' SNF Civil Money Penalty Policies

On July 7, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued revisions to its Civil Money Penalty (CMP) policies and CMP Analytic Tool to increase national consistency amongst Regional Offices (ROs) when...more

9/15/2017 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Civil Monetary Penalty , Health Care Providers , Long Term Care Facilities , Memorandum of Guidance , Noncompliance , Nursing Homes , Skilled Nursing Facility

CMS Warns Against Social Media Postings Involving Nursing Facility Residents

In an August 5, 2016, Survey and Certification memorandum to state Survey Agency Directors, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) directs surveyors of nursing facilities on matters relating to the use of social...more

9/12/2016 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Health Care Providers , Nursing Homes , Patient Privacy Rights , Photographs , Social Media , Social Media Policy , Video Recordings

New CMS Final Fire Safety Regulations

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated its fire safety regulations governing certain Medicare and Medicaid participating health care providers. These include hospitals, critical access hospitals...more

6/17/2016 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Fires , Health Care Providers , Healthcare Facilities , Hospitals , Long Term Care Facilities , Safety Standards , Skilled Nursing Facility

Selected CMS Guidance for Billing for Skilled Nursing Facility Services

Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) should take note of the updates and clarifications set forth in Medlearn Matters article 8997, issued by the CMS on March 13, 2015. Medlearn Matters article 8997 updates the chapters in the...more

4/7/2015 / Billing , Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Medicare , Medicare Benefit Policy Manual , Medicare Claims Processing Manual , Skilled Nursing Facility

New Clarifications Affect Physician and Hospital Medicare Part B Billing for Services Provided by Nursing and Other Staff...

CMS recently released rules changing the requirements for Medicare coverage of services furnished incident to a physician’s, NP’s, or PA’s services. Howard Sollins, Donna Senft and Susan Turner explain the effect of the...more

7/31/2014 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Healthcare , Medicare , Medicare Part B , New Regulations , Nurses , Physician Assistants , Physicians

CMS Survey Guidance and Amendment to SOM Advance Copy of Revised F371; Interpretive Guidance and Procedures for Sanitary...

On May 20 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued S&C 14-34-NH devoted to the topic of egg preparation in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Lest one think that this is an odd or random topic, it is relevant...more

6/4/2014 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Elder Issues , Healthcare , Medicaid , Medicare , Nursing Homes

Adult Failure to Thrive and Debility Can No Longer Be Principal Diagnoses on Hospice Claim Forms

Hospices will have until October 1, 2014, to ensure they conform their coding practices to comply with a “clarification” issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in its final FY2014 Hospice Wage Index...more

12/2/2013 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Compliance , Elder Issues , Healthcare , Hospice

Final Regulations Governing Closure of Long Term Care Facilities

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final regulation to further implement section 6113 of the federal health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The March 19, 2013,...more

3/29/2013 / Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) , Compliance , Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) , Long-Term Care , Medicaid , Medicare , Nursing Homes , Sanctions

Howard Sollins

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