Government watchdog says CMS should continue prior authorization projects
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 22, 2018
A report issued Monday by the Government Accountability Office says the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should extend tests of a prior authorization program that have saved up to $1.9 billion.
Judge invalidates state aid-in-dying law; appeal window is narrow
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 17, 2018
A judge overturned California’s two-year-old aid-in-dying law on Tuesday, giving the state attorney general just five days to file an appeal.
Decorated walls and windows warm the soul at New York nursing homes
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 16, 2018
Upstate New York is known for its beautiful vistas, but inside some private rooms at Betsy Ross Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, residents were stuck staring at empty walls.
HHS: Feds will push for drug negotiation after all
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 15, 2018
Though President Donald Trump’s drug blueprint glossed over drug price negotiations, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Monday morning that changes are on the horizon.
$5K settlement for nursing home that declined to admit opioid dependent patient
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 15, 2018
A skilled nursing facility that denied admission to a patient receiving medically assisted treatment for an opioid addiction has settled federal discrimination charges.
State News for May 2018
May 08, 2018
WEST VIRGINIA Governor vetoes bill widening CNAs’ medication role West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) has vetoed a bill that would have allowed certified nursing assistants with special training to...
Lawmakers demand answers, imply oversight is inadequate
By
James M. Berklan
May 08, 2018
Legislators’ request for sweeping information about federal regulators’ oversight of nursing homes is part of a House Energy and Commerce Committee official inquiry. A letter from four U.S....
States spring to action after Skyline misses huge payroll
By
James M. Berklan
May 08, 2018
The Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services sought emergency powers to take over operations at 15 nursing homes in late March after New Jersey-based Skyline Health Care failed to make payroll....
Skyline’s implosion continues with Pennsylvania takeover
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 03, 2018
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has installed temporary management at nine nursing homes owned by Skyline Healthcare, the latest group to fall in the growing collapse of the New Jersey-based operator.
No sign language interpreter for two years? Deaf former resident can sue nursing home
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 30, 2018
A federal judge ruled last week that a former nursing home patient who is deaf can pursue a discrimination case against the facility where she lived for more than two years because staff refused to provide...