Hospice use does not raise care costs in long-stay SNF residents’ final months of life, study finds
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May 06, 2016
The use of hospice services doesn’t increase care costs for long-stay nursing home residents in their last six months of life, according to a new analysis.
New DOJ task forces targeting worst SNFs
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May 04, 2016
The Department of Justice is forming 10 regional task forces to expose and improve nursing homes that are found to provide “grossly substandard” care.
DOL finalizes anti-union ‘persuader’ rule
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May 04, 2016
Employers will be required to report any anti-union and collective bargaining activity to employees under the final version of a “persuader” rule issued by the Department of Labor in late March.
Nurses aren’t documenting all ulcer interventions: study
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May 04, 2016
Documentation of pressure ulcer prevention measures by nursing home staff may be lacking, and not match the actual preventative measures taken, a new study suggests.
American Psychiatric Association calls for ‘judicious’ use of antipsychotics for people with...
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May 04, 2016
Healthcare providers should focus on “judicious” use of antipsychotic medications when treating people with dementia, according to new guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association.
Tales you might never expect from the frontlines of fraud
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Apr 26, 2016
The healthcare world currently ranks as the fourth most victimized industry when it comes to fraud, falling prey to roughly 6.6% of all fraud incidents. In the long-term care sector, experts recently shared,...
House lawmakers push CMS to collect Medicare beneficiaries’ mental health data
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Apr 26, 2016
More “robust” data on the mental and behavioral health of Medicare beneficiaries is needed in order to improve the program’s outcomes, lawmakers said last week in a letter to the Centers...
GAO calls for increased violence protection for healthcare workers
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Apr 22, 2016
A new federal report is calling for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to step up its efforts to protect healthcare workers from workplace violence.
Report: OIG to tackle adverse events, therapy payments in nursing homes
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Apr 14, 2016
Federal regulators’ investigative arm has set its sight on adverse events in nursing homes, and how Medicare pays for skilled nursing therapy, according to a report released Tuesday.
Seniors paying higher Medicare premiums, deductibles may rein in costs, experts say
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Apr 13, 2016
Giving seniors responsibility for a greater share of their own healthcare bills could help keep Medicare spending under control, a new study from the National Center for Policy Analysis suggests.