This American Life … and death: Superb shows about hospice
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 29, 2014
A few months after Pattie Burnham started working as a hospice nurse, she forgot the name of the president of the United States. That’s normal, her boss told her.
Aggressive lobbying keeps seniors on Lucentis, prevents Medicare savings, USA TODAY article states
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 28, 2014
Lobbying efforts have ensured that long-term care residents and other seniors are commonly prescribed the expensive drug Lucentis, even though the less costly drug Avastin has proven equally effective,...
Dramatic drop in hospital inpatient readmissions cannot be explained by a shift to observation stays,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 25, 2014
Hospitals achieved a notable reduction in their inpatient readmissions rate in 2012 and were not using observation stays to game the system, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services researchers....
Employers face monthly fees of $260 per worker if they don’t offer Affordable Care Act-compliant...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 25, 2014
Some long-term care providers could face monthly penalties between $170 and $260 per employee if they do not meet the Affordable Care Act’s so-called “employer mandate” next year, according...
Frozen fecal transplants cure C. diff, could be a game-changer, researchers say
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 25, 2014
Fecal transplants to cure Clostridium difficile could become more common, following a trial that successfully used frozen stool specimens, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Double homicide at Houston nursing home; victims’ roommate arrested
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 24, 2014
A double murder occurred late Tuesday night in a Houston nursing home room shared by four men, according to local authorities. Police arrested Guillermo Correa on suspicion of beating two of his roommates...
$2 million HIPAA settlement highlights mobile device risks facing healthcare providers
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 24, 2014
Laptops and other mobile devices containing personal health information have been stolen from long-term care ombudsman programs and other healthcare organizations, including from Concentra Health Services...
Long-term care nurses often ‘scramble’ to get family members’ blessing for palliative...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 24, 2014
Nursing home residents might not transition to full palliative care until they are very near death, at which point nurses and family members act in a state of crisis, suggests recently published research...
Skilled nursing facilities with poor quality ratings do not readmit more patients to hospitals, researchers...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 23, 2014
Low-quality and high-quality skilled nursing facilities readmit about the same proportion of residents to hospitals, suggest research findings recently published in the American Journal of Medical Quality.
Cipro and related antibiotics increase MRSA risk in long-term care facilities, study shows
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 23, 2014
Long-term care residents on a fluoroquinolone antibiotic such as Cipro are at an increased risk for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, researchers in France have found.