Congress looks ready to ignore MedPAC, make its own Medicare reform
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 19, 2018
Even as the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission called for cuts to skilled nursing in its semi-annual report to Congress this week, lawmakers appeared ready to shape payment reform themselves.
More empty beds: Medicare patients further weaken demand for skilled nursing
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 16, 2018
Medicare beneficiaries are spending fewer per-capita days in skilled nursing facilities since 2009, according to a new analysis released Thursday.
Indiana upholds nursing home moratorium, shelving 9 Mainstreet projects
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 14, 2018
A moratorium on new nursing home licenses approved by Indiana’s legislature in 2015 was upheld by the state’s Court of Appeals Tuesday, blocking Mainstreet Property Group from moving forward...
Double duty: CNA steps in to minister to dying resident and family during snowstorm
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 14, 2018
Roland Fernandes has been ministering to Christians for 35 years, but on a snowy day in upstate New York last week, he said a special prayer for a 91-year-old woman under his care.
Skilled nursing gets new targets for hospitalization, antipsychotic rates and more
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 14, 2018
Skilled nursing providers Tuesday got a peek at industry goals intended to advance quality over the next three years.
Washington’s attempt to pass a long-term care tax failed. Here’s why, and what’s next.
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 13, 2018
A bipartisan effort to help seniors pay for nursing home care died last week when Washington’s state Legislature ended its 2018 session.
MedPAC wants mechanism to send patients to higher-quality, post-acute care
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 12, 2018
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is struggling with how to help acute-care providers direct patients to better quality post-acute care.
Female nurses on night shift develop higher cancer risks
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 08, 2018
Working the night shift isn’t just bad for sleep — it could be seriously bad for your health. A study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that working during the wee...
Advocacy group calls on CMS to increase Medicare audits, expand review criteria
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 08, 2018
The Council for Medicare Integrity this week asked Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to expand efforts to reduce improper Medicare billing as heading off some planned program cuts.
Kansas employee’s email blast wrongly reveals personal information of 11,000 aging services recipients
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 05, 2018
A now-fired staff member with Kansas’ Department for Aging and Disability Services improperly disclosed personal information for 11,000 people in an email sent to multiple addresses, state officials...