HCR Update from Mark Sanna: In a proposed settlement of a nationwide class-action lawsuit, the administration has agreed to scrap a decades-old practice that required many Medicare beneficiaries to show a likelihood of medical or functional improvement before Medicare would pay for skilled nursing and therapy services. Under the agreement, Medicare will pay for such services if they are needed to “maintain the patient’s current condition or prevent or slow further deterioration,” regardless of whether the patient’s condition is expected to improve.