“LeadingAge Florida applauds the Florida Senate and House of Representatives for recognizing that the proposed Prospective Payment System (PPS) plan needs more study, and for creating a workgroup to develop recommendations for the plan,” said Steve Bahmer, President & CEO of LeadingAge Florida. “LeadingAge Florida looks forward to working with the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Legislature, and other stakeholders to produce a fair and equitable PPS plan, one that ensures resident care dollars are spent on care rather than property, that guarantees accountability for how any new tax dollars are spent, and which ensures that the rate setting approach is reasonable in terms of how it treats nursing homes of various sizes and the different regions of the state, among other items.”
“LeadingAge Florida appreciates all of the hard work and effort put into creating a PPS for Medicaid nursing home residents. Over the past 10 months, our members have advocated vigorously for a payment system that is fair and equitable for all providers. LeadingAge Florida appreciates the steps taken by the Florida Legislature to further study this important issue,” Bahmer said.
About LeadingAge Florida
For 54 years, LeadingAge Florida has served as an association of more than 250 mission-driven communities, including many of the highest rated nursing homes affected by the plan inserted into the Senate budget. LeadingAge Florida is proud to serve quality leaders who devote themselves to creating a culture of excellence that motivates and inspires others throughout the aging continuum. LeadingAge Florida’s members are trusted with providing quality care and services to Florida’s seniors. LeadingAge Florida promotes practices that support, enable and empower people to live fully as they age.
prospective payment system
LeadingAge Florida statement on meeting with Senate Democrats on PPS
LeadingAge Florida released the following statement today, attributable to President and CEO Steve Bahmer, regarding a meeting with the Senate Minority Leader to discuss the proposed Prospective Payment System (PPS) plan for nursing homes that is currently included in the Senate budget.
“On behalf of LeadingAge Florida and the high-quality nursing homes that are our members, I want to thank Leader Oscar Braynon for arranging this morning’s meeting to discuss the Medicaid payment plan included in the Florida Senate’s budget. An open discussion of the proposal and its many flaws was long overdue, and we appreciate Leader Braynon’s willingness to have that discussion.
“Leader Braynon and other Senate Democrats asked a number of important questions about how the plan shifts dollars from high-quality nursing homes to lower-quality nursing homes, how payments to nursing homes would be calculated, and what kind of accountability should be required if nursing homes receive additional taxpayer dollars under the plan. These and other critical issues are precisely the questions LeadingAge Florida has been raising about the plan since it first appeared just one month ago.
“An important issue raised during the meeting focused on the lack of transparency and absence of public vetting of this plan, which would institute major policy changes – in the budget – to the way nursing homes are paid for caring for Medicaid residents.
“This meeting demonstrated that there are still major holes in the plan that must be addressed. Chief among them is its complete lack of accountability with taxpayer dollars – there is no requirement in the plan that nursing homes that gain additional dollars have to spend even one dime of that new money on resident care. Because of that, the plan simply does not create an incentive to improve nursing quality.
“This is a concern that LeadingAge Florida has been expressing for months and we appreciate Leader Braynon’s draft amendment, which is an important step toward solving this specific problem with the plan. We also applaud the Florida Health Care Association for finally agreeing include an accountability component in their plan. This has been one of the many major flaws in their plan from the beginning. It won’t entirely fix the proposal, but it’s a step in the right direction.
“We look forward to continuing to work with members of the Florida Senate and House, as well as fellow stakeholders, on a PPS plan that meets our collective goals of ensuring accountability of taxpayer dollars and providing the highest standard of care for our state’s seniors.”
FHCA statement after Senate Appropriations Committee approved plan to establish PPS
Emmett Reed, executive director of the Florida Health Care Association, issued the following statement after the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a plan to establish a prospective payment system (PPS) for nursing center reimbursement:
“The Florida Health Care Association strongly supports the Senate’s plan, which puts a top priority on providing high-quality care for the residents under our care. The Senate plan recognizes the value of establishing a funding mechanism the creates incentives for quality, and we applaud senators’ commitment to addressing reimbursement in a way that benefits our state’s most fragile citizens. We look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature to bring about positive change to health care through implementation of this PPS plan.”
