CMS

The Biggest Barrier To New Anti-Alzheimer’s Drugs May Be Cost, Not Medicare Rules

The drug industry and its supporters are blasting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for proposing to limit Medicare payments for the new anti-Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab to patients who participate in a trial or a special registry aimed at tracking their experience with the drug. CMS says the record-keeping will help provide important, real-world information about the benefits [...]

By |2023-06-14T12:12:06-04:00June 14th, 2023|dementia|0 Comments

The War Over Whether Medicare Should Pay For New Anti-Alzheimer’s Drugs

The powerful Alzheimer’s Disease lobby is fighting a multi-billion-dollar battle on two fronts. It is quietly trying to limit restrictions the Food and Drug Administration puts on the use of new drugs aimed at slowing the progression of the brain disease. And it is publicly pressing Medicare to pay for the widespread use of the monoclonal antibodies FDA already has [...]

By |2023-05-17T15:27:50-04:00May 17th, 2023|dementia|0 Comments

The Government Offers Nursing Homes A Carrot, The Stick Is Coming

Nursing homes have been pressing for more money from the state and federal governments, by far their biggest payers. Now they are close to getting it, but the extra payments may come with costly new obligations, especially related to staffing. The federal government is about to increase Medicare payments for skilled nursing care and, at the same time, states are [...]

By |2023-04-12T16:39:56-04:00April 12th, 2023|nursing homes|0 Comments

Biden Proposes Major Nursing Home Reforms

The Biden Administration has proposed a wide range of changes in the regulation of nursing homes. They include efforts to require minimum staffing levels; limit shared rooms; enhance inspections, penalties, and transparency; and crack down on owners with a history of poor quality. The plan also would expand a technical assistance program to help operators improve their quality of care. [...]

By |2022-02-28T17:40:07-05:00February 28th, 2022|nursing homes|0 Comments

How The Medical System Is Failing People With Down Syndrome And Alzheimer’s Disease

Over just the past few decades, the life expectancy of people with Down Syndrome (DS) has increased from less than 30 years to nearly 60. But for many, that remarkable advancement comes at a high price. As they live longer, up to ninety percent of people with DS will have Alzheimer’s Disease. It is, in fact, the leading cause of death [...]

By |2022-02-10T13:53:33-05:00February 10th, 2022|dementia, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Consumers Are Getting New Information About Nursing Home Staffing But Need More

With nursing homes and other long-term care facilities desperately short of nurses and aides, it is more important than ever for consumers to know about staffing levels, quality, and turnover. But it has been difficult to get some key information. Now, the government has taken a modest step to help. In January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) [...]

By |2022-02-03T13:54:49-05:00February 3rd, 2022|nursing homes, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Medicare Won’t Pay for Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug Aduhelm Without A New Trial

In a key decision, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said today that Medicare will not pay for the controversial Alzheimer’s drug Adulhelm until it sees positive results from a government-approved trial. In bureaucratic language: “Monoclonal antibodies directed against amyloid for the treatment of [Alzheimer’s Disease] provided outside of the CMS approved randomized controlled trials and trials supported [...]

By |2022-01-11T17:46:04-05:00January 11th, 2022|dementia|0 Comments

Will Medicare Pay For The New Alzheimer’s Drug?

Last month, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a controversial new drug to treat people with Alzheimer’s disease. But even though the FDA allowed the drug to be sold, Medicare is not required to pay for it. And yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began a process to determine whether Medicare will establish a national coverage [...]

By |2021-07-13T13:57:06-04:00July 13th, 2021|dementia|0 Comments

The Biden Administration Greenlights $12 Billion In Federal Medicaid Home Care Money. How Will States Spend It?

The Biden Administration has given the green light for states to begin to tap into about $12 billion in additional funding for Medicaid home-based long-term supports and services. In guidance issued to state Medicaid directors late last week, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted the states broad flexibility in how they use the money. The funds, [...]

By |2021-05-19T09:55:56-04:00May 19th, 2021|Medicaid|14 Comments

The Federal Government Will Require Nursing Homes to Report Covid-19 Vaccine Rates for Staff And Residents

The federal agency that regulates nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will require facilities to publicly report covid-19 vaccination rates for staff and residents starting May 21. The rule is likely to press operators to boost staff vaccine rates to at least the 75 percent rate that industry trade groups have set as a goal  Some [...]

By |2021-05-12T11:58:27-04:00May 12th, 2021|nursing homes|0 Comments