Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1003496
12 CFO / FINANCE CMS terminates Kansas hospital's Medicare billing privileges: 5 things to know By Ayla Ellison C MS revoked Overland Park, Kan.-based Blue Valley Hospi- tal's Medicare billing privileges April 11, and the hospital is now suing HHS and CMS over the decision. Here are five things to know. 1. Under rules enacted last September, healthcare facilities must av- erage at least two inpatients per day and an at least two-night average length of stay to be considered an inpatient hospital for Medicare reim- bursement. Facilities that fall short of these requirements may instead be considered same-day surgery centers, which have different reim- bursement rates, according to e Kansas City Star. 2. CMS said Blue Valley Hospital doesn't meet the new federal require- ments for Medicare participation. A survey by state health officials last November found Blue Valley Hospital did not have any inpatients at that time, and a subsequent report showed the hospital performed about 309 outpatient surgeries, compared with 146 inpatient surgeries over a yearlong period, according to KCUR. 3. Blue Valley Hospital officials acknowledged that the hospital fell short of the two-night average stay requirement, but they say the new federal requirements are arbitrary. "is action taken by CMS was not related to any patient safety or quality of care issue, but results from CMS' change in the definition of hospital under the Code of Federal Regulations," Blue Valley Hospital CEO D. Chris Dixon said in a state- ment to e Kansas City Star. 4. In its recently filed lawsuit against HHS and CMS, Blue Valley Hos- pital says many of its patients have an expected length of stay of two nights, but they are able to go home earlier than expected due to the high-quality care they receive at the hospital. "CMS' new criteria sug- gests that hospitals should keep patients longer than necessary just to meet arbitrary CMS requirements, which is against public policy," the lawsuit states. 5. Blue Valley Hospital is requesting to keep its Medicare billing priv- ileges while it appeals CMS' decision to terminate its participation in the Medicare program, according to e Kansas City Star. n Tenet offers nurses up to $25k sign- on bonuses to solve shortage By Megan Knowles T he Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the U.S. nursing field will have over 1 million vacancies by 2022, leaving health systems to implement strategies to recruit and retain nurses. For Dal- las-based Tenet Healthcare, these strategies include offering sign- on bonuses of $10,000 to $15,000 for experienced nurses and up to $25,000 for nurses in certain geographically challenged areas, a Tenet spokesperson confirmed to Becker's. Tenet's sign-on bonuses are nationwide and part of the 74-hospital system's standard practice to hire experienced bedside nurses in ar- eas facing tight job markets. In California, Tenet is offering sign-on bonuses for the more diffi- cult-to-fill nursing jobs at Doctors of Modesto, Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock and Doctors Hospital of Manteca, according to The Modesto Bee. Tenet's move echoes recent efforts of health systems across the coun- try, including Aurora, Colo.-based UCHealth and Falls Church, Va.- based Inova Health System, which are also offering nurses five-figure signing bonuses to help mitigate the shortage. Doctors of Modesto recently offered bonuses for nurses in neurosur- gery and intensive care as well as $10,000 sign-on bonuses for neo- natal intensive care and critical care nurses. Additionally, The Modesto Bee cited a recent job posting for Emanuel Medical Center, which lists a $15,000 sign-on bonus for an intensive care or critical care nurse. Tenet hospitals in California hosted a series of job fairs for nurses and positions in critical care, imaging, mental health and laboratory in April. n Henry Ford's operating gains partially offset by Epic implementation costs, wage rate increases By Ayla Ellison D etroit-based Henry Ford Health System saw revenues increase in 2017, but the health system ended the period with lower net income than in the year prior. In 2017, Henry Ford Health System reported net income of $203.7 million on revenues of $6 billion. That's compared to 2016, when the sys- tem recorded net income of $275.6 million on revenues of $5.7 billion, according to recently released bondholder documents. Henry Ford Health System saw net patient ser- vice revenue increase in 2017 due to increased outpatient volume. The system also saw its in- vestment income rise year over year. However, management said those gains were partially offset by wage rate increases and Epic implementation costs at Allegiance Health Group in Jackson, Mich., which Henry Ford Health System acquired in 2016. After eliminating unusual items, the system's net income increased from $95.1 million in 2016 to $146.5 million in 2017. n