NP/PA's Resources

Your home for news, products, stories, and more specific to nurse practitioners and physician assistants practicing in post-acute and long-term care settings. 

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Congress Passes Opioid Legislation

Policy Snapshot
Medication, Opioids, Pain Management
July 15, 2016
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA) was sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and was recently passed with bi-partisan support in both Houses of Congress. The bill, which the President is...

Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year (CY) 2017 Released

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Payment, Accountable Care Organization (ACO), Coding, Reimbursement, & Documentation, Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)
July 15, 2016
On July 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that updates payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) on or after...

QI Awards Give Practitioners Vision to See Issues Clearly and Focus on Change

Spotlight
Dementia, Diabetes, Antimicrobial/Antibiotic Stewardship, Antibiotics/Antimicrobials, Patient Centered, Quality, Improvement, Urinary Incontinence
July 15, 2016
"Our study was sparked when we noticed that for the first time in our facility we had used more antibiotics for respiratory infections than for UTIs. We decided to look at why this was and figure out a way to decrease the inappropriate use of...

July 8, 2016

Weekly Roundup
Hospice, Skilled Nursing Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Dementia, Federal Regulations, Pain Management, Payment, Coding, Reimbursement, & Documentation, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, Practitioners, Quality, Improvement, Measures, Rehabilitation, Resident, Transitions of Care
July 8, 2016
Spotlight: Feedback Results in Forward Thinking for Advance Curriculum Faculty HPA: Bellantoni New AMA CPT Advisor; Open Payments Program Posts 2015 Financial Data; CMS SNF Quality Reporting Call; Transforming PAC Through Standardization and Care...

July 1, 2016

Weekly Roundup
Long-Term Care, Post-Acute Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Pain Management, Payment, Alternative Payment Models (APM), Coding, Reimbursement, & Documentation, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, Practice Management, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Health Information Technology (HIT), Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Younger Adult
July 1, 2016
Spotlight: Webinar to Focus on Challenges of Younger Residents HPA: LTPAC HIT Summit Puts Spotlight on Connecting LTPAC Settings; Society Comments on MACRA Proposed Rule; REMINDER: EHR Incentive Program; REMINDER: PBJ Reporting; CMS Quality Measures...

Transforming PAC Through Standardization and Care Coordination

Policy Snapshot
Post-Acute Care, Skilled Nursing Care, Federal Regulations, Payment, Quality, Improvement, Measures, Rehabilitation
July 8, 2016
The Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 requires the submission of standardized data for specific assessment categories and quality measure domains using the assessment instruments the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...

CMS SNF Quality Reporting Program Call — July 12

Policy Snapshot
Skilled Nursing Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Federal Regulations
July 8, 2016
Tuesday July 12 from 1:30 to 3 pm ET To register or for more information, visit MLN Connects Event Registration . Space may be limited, register early. Learn about the reporting requirements for the new Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality...

Open Payments Program Posts 2015 Financial Data

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)
July 8, 2016
On June 30, CMS published 2015 Open Payments data, along with newly submitted and updated payment records for the 2013 and 2014 reporting periods. The Open Payments program requires that transfers of value by manufacturers of drugs, devices,...

Bellantoni New AMA CPT Advisor

Policy Snapshot
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes
July 8, 2016
AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine’s Board of Directors member Michele Bellantoni, MD, CMD, was recently appointed to represent the Society as the primary American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (...

Determination and Documentation of Medical Necessity in Long Term Care Facilities

White Paper
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Practice Management, Medical Necessity, Practitioners, Attending Physician, Medical Director, Nurse Practitioner (NP), Physician Assistant (PA)
NP/PA, Physician
Published October 1999; Revised August 2001 SECTION I: Determination of "medical necessity" in nursing facility care Although a final definition and determination of "medical necessity" still is an unrealized goal of the medical, insurance...