Heartburn drugs overused, linked with fatal conditions… Veteran Affairs rules improving access to private care take effect … Letter campaign encourages docs to reduce off-label psych prescriptions
Key House leader eyes Medigap expansion for long-term care
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 05, 2019
The chair of the House Ways and Means Committee would consider allowing popular Medigap insurance plans to offer long-term care provisions for seniors.
New law mandates vegan meal options for nursing home residents
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 05, 2019
Tofu or not tofu? Diners in New York nursing homes may soon have both options, thanks to a bill requiring vegan meals at no extra cost.
Also in the News for Wednesday, June 5
Jun 05, 2019
First large-scale study confirms link between understaffing, heavy workload and HAIs … Cognitive behavioral therapy may improve sleep quality, head off related blood pressure spikes … Maine law...
Get the backpacks ready: New school bell will toll for Oklahoma seniors this fall
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 05, 2019
Nearly 20 years ago, Grace Living Centers launched a kindergarten and pre-K program inside the walls of its assisted living and skilled nursing home in Jenks, OK. Starting this fall, the organization will...
Joint bundle pushes costs down — at SNFs’ expense
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 04, 2019
The first two years of a mandatory payment bundle for joint replacements saved Medicare more than 2% annually, but much of it came through reduced payments to post-acute providers.
Senate pressure reveals larger national list of poor-quality nursing homes
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 04, 2019
Congressional inquiries led Monday to the public disclosure of hundreds of nursing homes considered candidates for the Special Focus Facility program.
Researchers: Train more non-docs in palliative care or suffer dire consequences
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 04, 2019
Skilled nursing residents are likely to be hit especially hard by shortages of palliative care physicians over the next 25 years, according to a new study.
Also in the News for Tuesday, June 4
Jun 04, 2019
State fighting parole for nursing home serial killer after 30 years … Falls in daylight are more common than those in dark rooms, study finds … Town obliterated by fire looks to technology as it rebuilds...
Skilled nursing chain’s collapse leaves HUD holding the bag on $146M
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 03, 2019
When a nursing home chain collapsed last year, its default on $146 million in loans became the biggest loss in the history of a HUD loan-guarantee program.