Homicide charges follow sudden illness of six assisted living residents
By
John Hall
Mar 18, 2015
A 98-year-old woman’s death in a south suburban Chicago assisted living facility has been ruled a homicide. She and five others were hospitalized in early February after suffering breathing difficulties....
Scrutiny of nursing home corporate ownership fires up again on multiple fronts
By
John Hall
Aug 08, 2022
Long-simmering discontent with what some lawmakers and many consumer advocates see as cagey nursing home corporate ownership arrangements erupted again Friday.
Poor staffing led to poor care, state says in lawsuit
By
John Hall
Apr 03, 2015
New Mexico has filed suit against one of the nation’s largest nursing home operators for providing what it claims were inadequate resources that led to poor care and improper billing. One leading...
Improper coding for doctors’ evaluation and management visits costs Medicare billions, OIG report
By
John Hall
May 30, 2014
Documentation coding errors related to routine patient evaluation and management (E/M) visits are costing the Medicare program billions of dollars in improper payments a year — nearly $7 billion alone...
How to do it… Design for infection control
By
John Hall
Jan 06, 2017
During remodeling or in between, providers must be continuously mindful of keeping environments clean. “Designers, housekeeping staff and maintenance professionals need to take every opportunity...
OIG report prods federal regulators to get tougher
By
John Hall
May 22, 2015
A Congressional watchdog group this week criticized the Department of Health & Human Services for failing to keep its improper payment rates low in its Medicare fee-for-service and Medicaid programs.
Healthcare now the biggest cyber-attack target, report reveals
By
John Hall
May 11, 2015
The leading causes for breaches and attacks on healthcare organizations Ponemon identified are (in order of severity): theft, employee negligence and malware. The biggest vulnerability for each of the...
After 14 years, SNF construction ban officially lifted
By
John Hall
Mar 10, 2015
In anticipation of a swelling elderly population and the possible boost to the state’s economy, Florida has ended a 14-year moratorium and approved permits to build 22 new skilled nursing facilities...
Nursing home operators urge swift Senate approval of physician pay formula
By
John Hall
Apr 14, 2015
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living are urging the U.S. Senate to act quickly on a potentially historic bill for establishing Medicare rates for doctors.
20% of Medicare patients harmed due to improper care; nursing homes among areas needing more attention,...
By
John Hall
May 29, 2014
Nearly one in five Medicare patients fall prey to medically related injuries unrelated to their underlying disease or condition, according to new research.