The CMS has proposed a 1.4% hike in Medicare payments to skilled-nursing facilities for fiscal 2014, which the agency estimates would increase payments to these providers by about $500 million from 2013 payment levels.
Released Wednesday, the regulation proposes to rebase and revise the skilled-nursing facility marketbasket index for next year. Currently, the marketbasket reflects data from fiscal 2004, and the CMS has suggested using data from fiscal 2010 instead.