Identifier mix-ups undermining quest for useful electronic health record exchanges
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 29, 2019
A review of more than 700 comments on a proposed rule to standardize the exchange of electronic health records points to one major concern: inconsistently or improperly recorded patient names.
Panel exploring surprise medical bills should tackle observation status, AHCA says
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 29, 2019
One of the biggest surprises for many would-be nursing home residents is being hospitalized under “observation” status. It doesn’t trigger the three-day span required for subsequent Medicare-covered...
State to reward providers who meet quality metrics with bigger share of ‘landmark’ 15% increase
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 28, 2019
Provider organizations in Oklahoma are hailing the passage of a nursing home funding bill that comes with a 15% rate hike — and a few strings attached. The $34 million reform bill includes $22 million...
Medical records service pays $100K for HIPAA breach affecting 3.5 million people
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 24, 2019
A healthcare company that had not conducted a comprehensive risk analysis prior to a HIPAA breach will pay $100,000, the federal government said Thursday.
Report: Shared IT boosts care coordination, but extra workload poses burnout threat
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 23, 2019
An evaluation of six Medicare Accountable Care Organizations found that health information technology tools improved patient care coordination — at a cost.
Out in front: Program puts residents back in the bike seat
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 21, 2019
Residents at a Wisconsin nursing home got a long-awaited taste of spring, perched in the front seat of a trishaw as a pilot pedaled them around the grounds.
Study: Monitors lead to better turning practices
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 21, 2019
Visual monitors that cued staff to reposition nursing home residents every two hours led to more frequent turning in a study of a 120-bed nursing home.
Focus on at-home kidney care could influence SNF efforts
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 17, 2019
A new federal policy aims to get half of U.S. dialysis patients on home treatment by 2025.
Lawmakers step into antipsychotic drug battle
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 17, 2019
Oklahoma providers, the most likely in the nation to use antipsychotic drugs on nursing home residents, have new incentive to limit prescribing. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) last week signed a law that requires...
Researchers testing hearing aid that reads minds too
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 17, 2019
A group of scientists hopes to cut through the noise and make hearing aids more effective by giving them the power to read minds.