$900 million Medicaid boost promises relief after decade-long drought
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 30, 2023
Lawmakers this holiday weekend gave Texas skilled nursing providers a long-awaited reason to celebrate: the first increase to the state’s Medicaid base rate in 10 years and supplemental funding to help...
MedPAC ‘ruling out’ safety net for SNFs with heavy, low-income Medicare caseloads
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 14, 2023
Nursing homes that treat a large share of low-income Medicare patients have such high margins that they don’t need a bonus payment to help maintain access, a panel that advises Congress on Medicare policy...
Who do nursing homes send to hospitals most often? The answer may surprise you.
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 07, 2022
Age may matter in determining which long-stay residents are sent to hospitals most often, but not in the way most people probably expect. A study of nearly 1,200 patients has surprisingly found that long-stay...
Unvaccinated nursing home staff in the hot seat as CDC investigates COVID-19 breakthrough cases
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 23, 2021
Several Colorado senior care facilities are at the center of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 investigation, and public health officials there are zeroing in on unvaccinated staff...
CMS leader balks on broader use of antipsychotic drugs
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 25, 2023
One of the nation’s top nursing home regulators is opposed to broadening exclusions for the use of antipsychotic medications, he told attendees of a national conference Friday.
Pay good providers more to care for dementia patients, researchers urge
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 09, 2023
Policymakers should consider incentivizing nursing homes to take patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, argue the authors of a new study that finds such patients currently are more...
Movement to cap nurse-agency pay rates advances in another state
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 15, 2021
Lawmakers could introduce legislation as early as this week that would regulate temporary staffing agencies and set maximum pay rates for agency healthcare personnel in Pennsylvania.
Skilled nursing staff blamed: COVID-19 outbreaks continue to hinder visits, angering residents and families
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 31, 2021
Some families’ hopes of visiting loved ones inside their nursing homes are being dashed by ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks among staff, and they may be poised to turn their anger toward vaccine-hesitant workers.
Profile: Earl L. ‘Buddy’ Carter
By
Kimberly Marselas
Dec 06, 2017
Soon after striking out on his own as a retail pharmacist, Earl L. “Buddy” Carter found himself back in the driver’s seat.
‘Surprising’ study results find moderate exercise may worsen Alzheimer’s
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 18, 2018
Moderate exercise, long thought to be a tool in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease, may actually hasten symptoms if done regularly after diagnosis, a new study suggests.