DOJ approval of $1.2 million deal ends case of owner who used nursing homes as ‘piggy banks’
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 24, 2014
Federal authorities have agreed to a $1.2 million settlement that would bring a long and complex case of nursing home embezzlement to a close, according to news reports from Rhode Island.
Public reporting of physical restraint use led to 36% increase in antipsychotic prescribing for dementia,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 21, 2014
Public reporting of physical restraint use in nursing homes caused a spike in the use of antipsychotic medications to control residents’ dementia symptoms, according to a recently published analysis....
McDermott urges RAC penalties for successfully appealed decisions
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 21, 2014
Medicare recovery audit contractors should face financial penalties when providers successfully challenge their decisions, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) stated in a recent letter to the head of the Health...
Medicare to cover hospice and curative care simultaneously in new demonstration program
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 21, 2014
Medicare will reimburse both hospices furnishing palliative care and providers offering curative services under a new demonstration program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced.
Standardized tool for assessing post-acute care is floated in House and Senate
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 20, 2014
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have unveiled a draft bill calling for post-acute care providers to furnish standard assessment data, with the goals of enabling better quality oversight and driving...
OIG focuses on nursing homes’ quality of care in ‘priorities’ report
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 20, 2014
To best protect federal health programs, more action should be taken to improve nursing home quality, a new government report asserts.
Man charged with nursing home murder withdrew his confession prior to arrest, records show
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 20, 2014
A Kentucky nursing home worker who admitted to murdering residents in 2007 retracted his confession before his arrest, according to recently released court records that shed new light on what may have...
Dual eligibles in nursing homes have fewer hospitalizations than those in home- and community-based care,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 19, 2014
Elderly, frail people are more likely to be hospitalized if they are receiving home- or community-based services than if they live in a nursing home, according to newly published research. Recent Medicaid...
Skilled nursing operator to pay $1 million over claims it failed to pay overtime, allow breaks
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 19, 2014
Compass Health has agreed to a $1.1 million settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the skilled nursing provider did not pay overtime or allow workers to take needed breaks.
HBO documentary reveals a certified nursing assistant’s struggle
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 18, 2014
President Lyndon Johnson highlighted impoverished families in Appalachia when he declared a “war on poverty.” Fifty years later, as the nation takes stock of how successfully we’ve waged...