One needn’t be an industry insider to recognize how the healthcare industry continues to evolve at lighting speed.
Perhaps nowhere is this more evident and apparent than in the realm of orthopedic patients and the struggles both they and healthcare providers face in securing appropriate authorizations and proper reimbursement for in-patient rehabilitation post surgery.
The fact is, CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) is on the fast track to reduce cost. One of the quickest means of reducing costs, is to take a scalpel (or, in this case, a hatchet) to their reimbursements and reimbursement criteria for orthopedic procedures, which have become more and more prevalent with the rise in median age an the increase in health and longevity on the part of our senior population.
Virgil Dickson, writing for Modern Healthcare, recently published this eye-opening take on a recent proposal from the DOH.
Ultimately, the actions on the part of CMS will have deleterious consequences on the quality of care available to patients, who will be forced into choosing between a shorter length of stay at an in-patient rehab facility, or no stay altogether.
At Regency Nursing Centers, we have seen these changes coming and are proud of our continuing and unwavering commitment to our patients and their clinical wellbeing, irrespective of any proposed draconian cuts and/or changes to our reimbursements.
