House and Senate ACA-replacement bills propose universal long-term care coverage
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 11, 2013
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have introduced a bill to institute a single-payer healthcare system that would include universal long-term care coverage.
Dallas utility company leaves nursing home without power over cold weekend
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 11, 2013
A Dallas skilled nursing facility went without power for days due to an apparent breakdown in communications with a utility company, according to local reports.
CMS updates Medicare manual to reflect Jimmo settlement
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 10, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has revised the Medicare Benefit Policy manual to clarify that skilled care and skilled therapy may be covered even for conditions that will not improve, per...
Federal government joins upcoding case against hospitalist company operating in LTC facilities
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 10, 2013
The federal government has intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that a large hospitalist company systematically overbilled government health programs, the U.S. Department of Justice announced...
Venous leg ulcers respond better to compression stockings than normal bandages, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 10, 2013
Multi-layer compression stockings promote more long-lasting healing of venous leg ulcers than traditional bandages, according to a recently published study.
10,000 lakes and one less nursing home: Spotlight on a facility closure
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 10, 2013
Minnesota appears to be on the ball when it comes to long-term care. It regularly rates at or near the top when states are ranked on LTC services. Yet, Minnesota also is on the leading edge of a more troublesome...
Huge number of therapy claims stuck in manual review limbo for months, NASL study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 09, 2013
A much-criticized system of reviewing certain Medicare therapy claims is still beset by problems, with about a third of this year’s claims awaiting processing, according to a recently released survey...
CMS announces declining readmission rate for Medicare patients, credits Affordable Care Act
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 09, 2013
Improved transitions between acute and post-acute settings are partly responsible for continuing nationwide declines in hospital readmission rates, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Large nonprofit LTC providers have embraced electronic health records, information exchange lags, survey...
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 09, 2013
The nation’s largest not-for-profit long-term care providers have implemented electronic health records, but there is still much room for growth when it comes to the sharing of digital data, according...
Dedicated observation stay units could protect nursing home benefits, save hospitals $1 billion annually,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 06, 2013
Specialized hospital units for patients under observation status could dramatically reduce the number of seniors forced to pay out-of-pocket for skilled nursing care, according to findings in the current...