The trust a long-term care organization places in a person to guide and consult on its finances is no less important than the trust the residents have in the operator. A provider must be willing to invest...
Strong professional relationships could reduce unnecessary hospitalizations from nursing homes, study...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 29, 2014
Registered nurses need strong and collegial relationships with their counterparts at a hospital in order to confidently refer nursing home residents to the emergency department, according to findings recently...
Aggressive lobbying keeps seniors on Lucentis, prevents Medicare savings, USA TODAY article states
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 28, 2014
Lobbying efforts have ensured that long-term care residents and other seniors are commonly prescribed the expensive drug Lucentis, even though the less costly drug Avastin has proven equally effective,...
$2 million HIPAA settlement highlights mobile device risks facing healthcare providers
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 24, 2014
Laptops and other mobile devices containing personal health information have been stolen from long-term care ombudsman programs and other healthcare organizations, including from Concentra Health Services...
Jonathan Blum, who oversaw long-term care reforms, resigns as head of Medicare
Apr 23, 2014
The nation’s top Medicare official, Jonathan Blum, is leaving his post next month, news outlets reported Tuesday. Blum became a familiar figure to long-term care providers through Open Door Forum...
Long-term care facilities approach 80% worker flu vaccination rate after handing power to regional pharmacy,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 18, 2014
Fourteen long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania dramatically increased their staff flu vaccination rate by having a regional pharmacy take over the process, according to a report issued Thursday by...
Septicemia, urinary tract infections rank high on latest list of hospital readmissions causes
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 17, 2014
Two infectious conditions common in long-term care settings — septicemia and urinary tract infections — were among the top causes of hospital readmissions for Medicare beneficiaries in 2011, according...
PharMerica to pay $200,000 settlement over federal charges of unsafe dispensing practices
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 17, 2014
Long-term care pharmacy company PharMerica has agreed to pay about $213,000 to settle charges that it dispensed medications without prescriptions and committed other breaches of the Controlled Substances...
Government would pay seniors to create advanced directives under Senate bill
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 16, 2014
Medicare beneficiaries would be paid to create advance directives and store them in an easy-access system if a recently proposed Senate bill were to become law.
Bill would create ‘advanced aide’ positions in nursing homes to improve transitions, dementia...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 14, 2014
Advanced certified nursing assistants — with specialized skills in care transitions, dementia and other areas — could become important staff leaders in long-term care facilities through newly proposed...