The 2015 National Impact Assessment of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Quality Measures Report shows “clear progress in improving the healthcare delivery system to achieve the three...
Assisted living residents with dementia receiving too many antipsychotics, GAO says
By
John Hall
Mar 03, 2015
Government investigators are calling for greater scrutiny of antipsychotics use among dementia patients in post-acute settings beyond nursing homes.
ArchCare to pay $3.5M to settle rehab billing complaint
By
John Hall
Mar 03, 2015
A New York nursing home chain agreed Monday to pay $3.5 million to settle government allegations it failed to prevent a rehab subcontractor from overbilling Medicare for therapy.
OIG: Government should consider more drug substitution
By
John Hall
Mar 03, 2015
Drug substitutions saved the government $13 million last year, but more drug substitutions under Medicare Part B would have saved an additional $6 million, the Office of Inspector General for Health and...
New Medicare ACO to be unveiled soon
By
John Hall
Mar 02, 2015
The government’s top health insurer has announced that providers could get a first look at a new type of Medicare accountable care organization this month. It has been modeled closely after a controversial...
Controversial Medicare auditors group changes name, website
By
John Hall
Mar 02, 2015
A Medicare payment watchdog group saddled with huge case backlogs and heavily criticized for causing delays in resolving reimbursement issues has changed its name and location on the web.
Fasting — with limits — may be linked to longer life, less disease, researchers say
By
John Hall
Mar 02, 2015
Periods of fasting could be one way to sidestep some chronic illnesses such as diabetes, and add years to one’s life. Meanwhile, consecutive daily fasting supplemented with antioxidants could actually...
‘Observation status’ provision under further review
By
John Hall
Feb 27, 2015
The American Health Care Association on Thursday applauded a House measure that would inform Medicare beneficiaries of their observation status as hospital inpatient or outpatients. But that might be little...
Solutions for dehydration in seniors stump researchers
By
John Hall
Feb 27, 2015
Despite decades and nearly two dozen studies on dehydration in the frail elderly, very little conclusive evidence exists on its causes or solutions, a research team reported Wednesday in the Annals of...
LGBT residents deserve better: geriatric society
By
John Hall
Feb 27, 2015
The American Geriatric Society on Wednesday issued a broad policy statement calling for long-term care health professionals to “pioneer” procedures and policies designed to more equitably and...