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CMS needs to hear from you! Submit comments by June 26

June 19, 2017

As you may know, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is requesting comments on several items. These items include:

  • Modification or elimination of three (3) parts of the revised federal nursing home regulations- discharge notices to ombudsmen; the grievance process; and the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement process.
  • Changes to Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities that would significantly change the financial incentives to facilities for providing therapy. 
  • Ideas for changes to eliminate unnecessary burdens for providers and patients. This solicitation of ideas can be used to advocate for changes related to how hospital time is counted to qualify for Medicare coverage of a skilled nursing facility stay (observation status).

We are providing sample comments for organizations to submit or use to create their own comments. These sample organizational comments can be easily adapted for use by individuals.

Click here to access the sample comments, or go to our website.

Comments are due by 5:00 PM ET on June 26, 2017.

The best way to submit comments is electronically.  Go to www.regulations.gov.  Within the search bar, enter the Regulation Identifier Number associated with this regulation - 0938-AS96 - and then click on the "Comment Now" box.

 

Additional Information:

  • To read the full text regarding the feedback CMS is seeking on the grievance process, QAPI, and discharge notices, go to the Federal Register, Vol. 82, No. 85, Thursday, May 4, 2017, pp.21088, or click here.
  • The revised regulations can be found here. Refer to the following sections: discharge notices to ombudsmen - 483.15(c)(3)(i); grievance process - 483.10(j); QAPI - 483.75.  
  • To learn about the proposed therapy changes, see the Center for Medicare Advocacy's Alert at CMA Alert, May 17, 2017.
  • For more information about observation status, click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says, “Observation Status Resources and Links.”

Questions?  Contact us at info@theconsumervoice.org.

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