In FYs 2011 and 2012, CMS adopted new patient assessments for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that were intended to capture when beneficiaries start therapy, end therapy, and decrease or increase therapy. The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has questioned the effectiveness of these complex policies, however, noting that SNFs reviewed often used the start of therapy assessment incorrectly, or used assessments differently when decreasing therapy than when increasing it. According to the OIG, to better ensure that beneficiaries are receiving the needed amount of therapy and that Medicare is paying appropriately, CMS should accelerate efforts to implement a new method for paying SNFs for therapy. In the meantime, the OIG recommends that CMS: (1) reduce the financial incentive for SNFs to use assessments differently when decreasing and increasing therapy and (2) strengthen the oversight of SNF billing for changes in therapy. CMS concurred with these recommendations.  For additional details, see the full report, “Skilled Nursing Facility Billing for Changes in Therapy: Improvements are Needed.”