Reduce Medicare payments for hospice care in skilled nursing facilities, MedPAC suggests
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 08, 2013
The government should consider Medicare payment cuts for hospice services provided in skilled nursing facilities, according to Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) commissioners. A reduction of...
State News
Apr 01, 2013
A four-person review panel would have to approve civil malpractice lawsuits against long-term care providers before the claims could go to court, under a bill that recently passed the state senate in Kentucky.
A game changer
By
John Andrews
Apr 01, 2013
With release of new HIPAA privacy and security rules, long-term care providers must evaluate their policies and procedures to better protect residents’ data
AHCA makes push for immigration reform
By
Elizabeth Newman
Apr 01, 2013
Saying the current permanent visa programs for immigrants are “insufficient and inadequate” to meet long-term care staffing needs, the American Health Care Association outlined in March a vision...
NPs face pay challenges in some states
By
Elizabeth Newman
Apr 01, 2013
While the number of nurse practitioners is expected to nearly double by 2025, many in the field say payer policies hurt their efficiency, even more than state scope-of-practice laws.
Ask the legal expert … about arbitration agreements
By
John Durso
Apr 01, 2013
It seems like every time I see a news item about arbitration agreements being signed by a resident/patient’s surrogate or relative, some judges rules it invalid or unenforceable. Are they ever valid?...
CompanyBriefs
Apr 02, 2013
» A half dozen electronic health record vendors have formed a non-profit organization called the Commonwell Health Alliance. The organization’s goal is to create a national infrastructure with common...
Proposed new visa could pave the way for more immigrant nursing home workers
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 02, 2013
More immigrant workers could be employed in the nation’s nursing homes in coming years under a deal reached Friday.
HHS issues final rule on federal payment rates for new Medicaid beneficiaries
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 01, 2013
The federal government will pay 100% of the Medicaid costs for certain newly eligible beneficiaries under the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed in a final rule...
Limiting use of common antihistamines could reduce C. diff in facilities, researchers say
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 29, 2013
Taking antihistamines such as Tagamet, Pepcid and Zantac increases the risk that people in healthcare settings will be infected with Clostridium difficile, according to a recently published study.