Nine residents at the Heritage Hall nursing home are confirmed to have a strain of enterovirus, according to local reports.
AHCA applauds Senate passage of IMPACT Act
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 22, 2014
The Senate approved the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act, drawing praise from the American Health Care Association and the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care.
Antipsychotics reduction goal raised to 30% by end of 2016, CMS and provider groups announce
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 19, 2014
Long-term care providers are being asked to reduce the use of antipsychotic medications among residents by 25% by the end of 2015, and 30% by the end of 2016. Providers have already achieved a 17.1% reduction...
CDC issues new guidelines on pneumococcal vaccine, says LTC flu vaccination rates remain low
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 19, 2014
Long-term care workers continued to have low rates of flu vaccination last season, despite there being 92% vaccination coverage overall among physicians and nurses, the Centers for Disease Control and...
AL operators accused of withholding $2M in unpaid overtime, minimum wages
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 19, 2014
Four California assisted living operators are facing eight felony charges related to wage theft, tax and insurance violations, according to local reports.
Three states to examine risk, reform in Medicaid project
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 19, 2014
Alabama, Washington and Nevada are participating in a yearlong Medicaid project that could help share risk between states and the federal government, the National Governors Association said this week.
Post-acute standardized assessment bill passes House
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 18, 2014
A bill that would standardize data in post-acute settings moved closer to reality after a House of Representatives voice vote in its favor Tuesday. The House’s approval of the Improving Medicare...
ACA hasn’t created more part-time workers, analysis says
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 18, 2014
Despite fears to the contrary, there’s no evidence that the Affordable Care Act increased part-time work before 2014, according to a new analysis.
Medicare Part B could have saved $110 million, OIG asserts
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 18, 2014
If the Medicare Part B program had used average Medicare Part D drug dispensing and fee rates, it would have saved the government $110 million in 2011, according to a report from the Department of Health...
The upside of a long-term care journal
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 11, 2014
I thought writing in a journal to recap my day would be more trouble than it’s worth. That was before I went on a two-week vacation halfway around the world. But you don’t have to travel that...