I know it seems like a broken record, but once again there is a propsed cut to reimbursement from Medicare. We have been facing the same swan song every year for years now.
Current propsed cut
The current proposed cut is a 2.83% cut to the conversion factor of the Physician Fee Schedule. These cuts will impact reimbursement to skilled nursing facilities, therapy providers, and portable x ray providers.
Just to put it in perspective again, there have been cuts in fiscal years of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. There have been Congressional actions taken to decrease the amount of cut, however there was still a cut.
In a world where the cost of living is exponentially higher each year, the caregivers of some of our most vulnerable population continues to have to deal with reimbursement cuts. Frequently the result is lower wages or decreased benefits for the very people that dedicated their lives to better the lives of our older generations.
Unfortunately the biggest effects are felt by our older generations. This is true regardless of the area of the country. The highest impact is always felt in more rural areas. With a decreased pool of Healthcare workers, partnered with decreased revenue to afford paying good therapists and other skilled workers, our most vulnerable population in skilled nursing directly lose access to services that can significantly impact their lives and well-being.
Not just therapy
So these cuts are also impacting mobile x ray services. This service is a significant part of a continum of care for our elderly residents of a SNF. Mobile x ray service saves time, money, and unnecessary burden on the resident and families. They can more quickly and efficiently guide caregivers when dealing with falls, increased pain, and checking for pneumonia.
Without these services theses residents would need to be transported to the hospital for a simple xray. This can delay intervention, create a hardship on a resident to have to transport, as well as increased hardship on family to have to meet a loved one at the hospital.
Not only cuts this time
Unfortunately, as it seems too frequently in Healthcare, there is an agreement that telehealth is an important tool for maintaining timely care in some instances but the ability for therapy to bill it stops on January 1rst. There has been full agreement to keep it as a valid methord of care, but neglected to actually extend or make permanent the ability to bill for it. Without telehealth in some instances there is a delay in care to theses residents. This is especially important the further you get away from urban areas to more rural ones.
So what can I do?
The best way to promote change is to contact your local senator and representative and tell them how important these issues are. Without us reaching out, they would not know the true effects these issues have on everyday people. We need to not only protect our current Skilled nursing residents, but to also protect ourselves and family members in the future. One of the best tools for advocating is going to ADVION. The templates and tools to find your voice is available at www.ADVIONadvocates.org. Please speak up and protect our future generations.
