About Continuum of Care
Post-acute care — often provided at inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, skilled-nursing facilities, and at patients’ homes — is vital to the health care delivery system. These providers deliver essential medical and rehabilitative services following hospital care. Hospital case managers help support, and connect patients, families, and caregivers through communication and coordination with post-acute care providers and home and community-based services. This includes the development of a discharge or transition plan that addresses the patient’s goals, needs and treatment preferences, and prepares patients and caregivers for post-discharge care.
Hospitals Implementing Federal Outpatient Therapy Changes Should Request Program Flex
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) calendar year (CY) 2025 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule provides increased flexibility for hospital outpatient therapy services, but this flexibility does not align with certain requirements in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.
Members-Only Impact Analyses for FFY 2026 Medicare SNF, IRF, and LTCH PPS Now Available
What’s happening: CHA DataSuite has released hospital-specific impact analyses of the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2026 Medicare skilled-nursing facility (SNF), inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems (PPS), showing providers how the final rule will impact FFY 2026 Medicare inpatient fee-for-service payments.
CHA Issues Draft Comments on Home Health PPS Proposed Rule for Member Use
What’s happening: Members are encouraged to use CHA’s new draft comments on the calendar year (CY) 2026 home health prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule as a template for their own comments.
Livanta Changes Name to Commence Health
What’s happening: As of Aug. 18, Livanta — the Medicare Beneficiary and Family Centered Care-Quality Improvement Organization for California — is operating under the name Commence Health.
Members-Only Summaries Detail Post-Acute Care, Psych Payment Final Rules
CDPH Reminds SNFs of Residents’ Bed-Hold Rights
CHA Expresses Concerns about DMHC Network Adequacy Proposal
CMS’ Final Post-Acute Care, Psych Payment Rules Effective Oct. 1
Federal Funding Will Bolster Medi-Cal Reimbursement for Inpatient Psychiatric Care
What’s happening: On Dec. 16, California was approved for the large BH-CONNECT behavioral health demonstration project, which is estimated to bring $5 billion of new federal Medicaid dollars for California over the next five years.