Updated emergency prep checklist from CMS includes resident tracking procedures
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 04, 2014
Long-term care facilities should have written plans for how they will track residents during evacuations, according to an updated emergency preparedness checklist from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Dementia-friendly ways to worship
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 01, 2014
After chaplain Alex Treitler began leading services for people with dementia, he quickly realized things weren’t going well. He says those with dementia found it hard to engage with the “traditional...
Gay couple turns to EEOC
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 01, 2014
Brookdale Senior Living is revisiting its benefits policies for same-sex couples after an employee filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January. The worker alleged that...
Providers strive to diversify services, payment streams
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 01, 2014
Companies in the post-acute sector have been seeking deals to diversify their services and limit their reliance on Medicare, according to a recent analysis from investment banking firm TripleTree.
Eye injections trim SNF use
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 01, 2014
Injectable drugs ranibizumab (Lucentis) and bevacizumab (Avastin) help prevent nursing home admissions among those with age-related wet macular degeneration, according to findings in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Home-based caring practices boost SNFs
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 01, 2014
Nursing homes could improve the comfort and dignity of residents who are dying by following practices common in home-based hospice care, according to the results of a large-scale trial.
Part A claims under scrutiny
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 01, 2014
Government investigators will issue a report on skilled nursing facilities’ Medicare Part A billing practices later this year, according to the latest annual work plan from the Department of Health...
Government report: 1 in 5 Medicare patients suffers an adverse event while receiving post-acute SNF care
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 04, 2014
About 22% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced an adverse event during a post-hospitalization skilled nursing facility stay in fiscal year 2011, and the majority of these events were preventable, according...
Meddling relatives harm end-of-life care
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 01, 2014
Relatives of dying residents make it harder to provide high-quality end-of-life care, according to a majority of long-term care professionals surveyed.
Adverse events and the culture of fear in long-term care
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 04, 2014
The government report on adverse events in post-acute care that was released yesterday shines a light on issues of real concern. However, as long-term care stakeholders and regulators consider the implications...