Skilled-nursing facilities are seeking more say in how they contract with accountable care organizations as a new CMS rule for ACOs loosens the coverage policy for some Medicare patients, experts say.
Under the ACO Track 3 program, which starts in January, post-acute providers hope to see more gain-sharing opportunities, said Mike Cheek, a senior vice president at the American Health Care Association, which represents SNFs, nursing homes and other post-acute providers.
Effective in 2017, the new rule for Medicare's latest ACO model waives the required three-day hospital visit before Medicare will pay for skilled-nursing care, as long as patients go to SNFs with at least three stars on Medicare's five-star quality scale.