HHS gives shooter guidance for healthcare facilities
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 01, 2015
Federal agencies have issued guidance for how healthcare providers should prepare for an active shooter emergency. The 33-page document covers threat assessment, actions to take during and after an emergency,...
BLS: Nursing home injury rate still high
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 01, 2015
Nursing homes still are among the most dangerous U.S. workplaces, and there was little improvement in safety from 2012 to 2013, according to the latest annual data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
New approach to regain sight
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 01, 2015
A new type of “prosthetic retina” could restore vision to seniors with macular degeneration, researchers announced last month.
A prior warning for Alzheimer’s
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 01, 2015
The latest Alzheimer’s blood test appears to predict the disease 10 years before a clinical diagnosis could be made, researchers announced in November.
Pay equality endorsed again
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 01, 2015
Congress should consider site-neutral payments for post-acute providers as a way to cut federal healthcare spending, a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission official told a House panel in December.
SNF’s bankruptcy protected Medicare certification, judge rules in ‘nightmare decision’...
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 07, 2015
The government cannot cut off reimbursements to a nursing home that entered bankruptcy while appealing the termination of its Medicare and Medicaid certification, a federal judge recently ruled. The controversial...
Rotating night shifts increase nurse death risk by 11%, Harvard study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 07, 2015
Long-term care nurses who work rotating night shifts might be at increased risk of death, particularly from heart disease and lung cancer, according to recently published findings from Harvard Medical...
Failure to administer meds, poor supervision are linked to nursing home UTIs, researchers say
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 07, 2015
Lapses in nursing home care are significantly linked to the incidence of urinary tract infections, according to recently published findings.
An end to our bed bug nightmares?
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 06, 2015
Of all the scourges that hit nursing homes, there is one that always causes me to shudder. It’s not pressure ulcers or norovirus, C. diff or MRSA. It’s something less dangerous, but that I...
CMS begins new round of recovery audit contracts, says improvements will be seen
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 06, 2015
Connolly LLC will be the recovery audit contractor responsible for reviewing durable medical equipment, hospice and home health claims on a nationwide basis, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...