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Resources For Finding an Assisted Living Facility

                The search for the perfect Assisted Living facility for your loved one can be time consuming and confusing. With so many options, it’s hard to know where to start or how to begin to narrow down the search. There are many resources on the web for you to be able to check out and do research. We have gathered 3 websites that have important information to be able to make this process easier for you.

Memberofthefamily.net - http://www.memberofthefamily.net/

This website offers a rating system of 16,000+ Medicare/Medicaid- certified nursing homes across the United States. You can also look at a national watch list they have compiled. This can help you build a list of possible facilities and know which ones you should steer clear of.

AARP- http://aarp.us/wl1QsR

AARP is a valuable and respected site for senior citizens. The link above will take you to an article on “The “Do’s” of Due Diligence” concerning choosing a nursing home. Before you start the nursing home selection process, you should know what it is you are looking for and how to find it.

Medicare.gov - http://1.usa.gov/zuWwn4

Medicare.gov has compiled a detailed check list for you to be able to take it with you on your assisted living search. It offers questions to ask, reminders of what to look for, a detailed area for recording information gathered, and a rating system.

Hopefully these websites answer any questions you may have on choosing the best assisted living facility and make the process less confusing and less time consuming.

SNF Medicare Reimbursements

Doug Walker from Caring Forward offers a very helpful perspective to the Nursing Home Industry regarding SNF Medicare reimbursements.  A must read for our clients.  Visit his site at http://caringforward.typepad.com.

When 11.1% isn't really 11.1%: What will Medicare cuts actually cost SNFs?

Many smart folks in the SNF industry have spent a lot of time analyzing and discussing the pending Medicare SNF reimbursement cuts, including some dire predictions about pushing SNF operators to the "economic brink."

We have talked to many SNF providers that are putting projects on hold and deferring strategic decisions while they sort out the impact of the cuts. These cuts present yet another challenge for providers trying to provide exceptional care in a competitive environment with already thin margins.

But I just ran across a sharp analysis by Luke Fannon on the LTL Magazine blog that SNF providers should consider. The key point here: This is not a uniform 11.1% cut in Medicare reimbursements. With the "panic number" of 11.1% continuously kicked around, folks seem to overlook this important fact.

Fannon's analysis points out that, although the reimbursements for rehab RUGs will take a big hit (north of 18% in some cases), the non-rehab RUGs will actually reimburse at an average of 2.6% higher than before. Because of the way the cuts are distributed, your mileage will vary as to how it affects your facilities. It will depend on current and future case mix.

It seems doubtful, though, that any facility would take an overall reimbursement hit of 11.1%—it would represent a disproportionate existing level of rehab patient and reimbursements. For many facilities, because of the distribution of the case mix, overall Medicare reimbursements actually stand to increase under the new rules.

We also agree completely with Fannon's recommendations for SNFs seeking to offset the Medicare rate cuts:

• Stay focused on increasing your Medicare census--even with the cuts in the rehab RUGs, boosting Medicare census will significantly increase the revenue for your SNFs. (We would add to that: If your payer mix is OK, but your overall ADC is in the 80s or low 90s, then you also need to focus on marketing and increasing your overall admissions.)