Obama advisors urge faster shift to value-based reimbursement of healthcare providers
By
John Hall
Jun 02, 2014
Fee-for-service payment methods are the greatest impediment to an efficient healthcare system by incentivizing volume instead of better outcomes, advisors declared last week in a report to President Obama.
Better way to determine proper post-acute therapy duration and intensity discovered, researchers say
By
John Hall
Jun 02, 2014
Academic researchers say they have devised a more accurate way to determine “optimal” levels of therapy for post-acute patients. The method also can better judge therapy intensity, investigators...
Medicare bill would boost transitions to long-term care, other settings
By
John Hall
Jun 02, 2014
Federal lawmakers have introduced a bill designed to improve coordination of care and services for Medicare beneficiaries as they move from one setting to another.
Nursing home staffing standards reduced severe deficiency citations, researchers find
By
John Hall
May 30, 2014
New research supports that improved nursing home staffing levels correlate with better quality of care. But it points to a phenomenon fewer could have predicted: diminished registered nurse hours spent...
Improper coding for doctors’ evaluation and management visits costs Medicare billions, OIG report
By
John Hall
May 30, 2014
Documentation coding errors related to routine patient evaluation and management (E/M) visits are costing the Medicare program billions of dollars in improper payments a year — nearly $7 billion alone...
Cynical people are more likely to develop dementia, researchers say
By
John Hall
May 30, 2014
Cynical people tend to die younger and are nearly three times more likely than others to develop dementia, according to newly published research findings.
20% of Medicare patients harmed due to improper care; nursing homes among areas needing more attention,...
By
John Hall
May 29, 2014
Nearly one in five Medicare patients fall prey to medically related injuries unrelated to their underlying disease or condition, according to new research.
Jury hands down $3.3 million verdict against CO nursing home in negligence case
By
John Hall
May 29, 2014
An 82-year-old skilled nursing facility resident and his family have been awarded $3.3 million by a Colorado jury after finding the Pueblo-based Belmont Lodge Health Care Center guilty of negligence.
Consumer advocates renew call for portable bed rail ban after deaths lead to recall
By
John Hall
May 29, 2014
A leading long-term care consumer watchdog group has renewed its call for a permanent ban of adult portable bed rails in long-term care settings. The memo from The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term...
OIG revenues off $1 billion as oversight relaxes
By
John Hall
May 28, 2014
Revenues from Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General audits and investigations for the the first half of fiscal 2014 are expected to drop almost $1 billion from the same period...