LTC commissioners air differences while issuing full report to Congress
Sep 18, 2013
The Commission on Long-Term Care has issued its full report to Congress, fleshing out recommendations that it released last week addressing LTC service delivery, workforce issues and financing systems.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently addressed provider questions related to regulations pertaining to discharge assessments and agreements between skilled nursing and hospice providers.
Department of Labor extends minimum wage to home health workers
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 18, 2013
The Department of Labor has announced it will extend minimum wage and overtime protections to home health workers providing direct care, earning cheers from long-time advocates of this policy.
Pain management difficult for stoic residents, those with dementia, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 18, 2013
Effective pain management in long-term care is hampered by residents’ attitudes and caregivers’ misinterpretation of behaviors, according to newly published research in the journal Nursing...
Antibiotic resistance leads to 23,000 deaths a year, providers must implement best practices: CDC ‘landmark’...
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 17, 2013
Nursing homes are on the front lines in the increasingly urgent battle against antibiotic-resistant infections, according to a comprehensive new report that ranks the most dangerous antibiotic-resistant...
Government issues model HIPAA privacy notices for providers to give patients
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 17, 2013
Long-term care providers can now utilize three new models of Notice of Privacy Practices documents to maintain Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, two government agencies have...
Kill inpatient rule, use functional criteria to determine Medicare coverage for skilled nursing, leading...
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 17, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should consider providing Medicare skilled nursing coverage for a person with certain functional limitations, regardless of whether that person has been hospitalized,...
Now available on a screen near you: ‘Derek’ shows the complicated life of a nursing home...
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 17, 2013
I sat down to watch an episode or two of “Derek” over the weekend. I thought I’d write a blog about my impressions of this Ricky Gervais show set in an English nursing home, newly released...
LTC Commission wins praise for recommendations, but some members say the group failed to complete mission
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 16, 2013
Long-term care advocates have praised a set of recommendations issued by the Congressional Commission on Long-Term Care, but some commissioners broke ranks, saying the panel did not fulfill its mandate.
Skilled nursing facility occupancy will decrease to 88% this year, firm anticipates
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 16, 2013
Occupancy in skilled nursing facilities is expected to decline about 80 basis points, hitting about 88% by the end of the year, according to a recent seniors housing analysis from real estate investment...