CMS clarifies long-term care surveyor guidance on same-sex marriages
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 16, 2014
When they appear in Medicare and Medicaid regulations, terms such as “support person” and “next-of-kin” can include same-sex spouses in most instances, according to a recently issued...
Gap between long-term care costs and Medicaid payments was widest ever last year, report finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 15, 2014
Medicaid underfunded long-term care by the greatest margin on record in 2013, according to a new report from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, the nation’s...
Largest-ever HIPAA settlement rings in at $5 million, should be a lesson to providers sharing computer...
By
Tim Mullaney
May 09, 2014
New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University have entered into the largest-ever government settlement over an electronic data breach, totaling $4.8 million, the Department of Health and Human...
The best thing you’ll read all week
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 10, 2013
My grandmother passed away on Sept. 1. In the days since, those who knew and loved her have celebrated her life and mourned her passing together — and the obituary we wrote for her has gone viral on...
AHCA/NCAL names new board leaders, Parkinson says providers’ survival depends on quality improvement
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 10, 2013
Leonard Russ will lead the American Health Care Association’s Board of Governors as its new chairman, the organization has announced. The nation’s largest long-term care provider association...
Deadly pathogen discovered at Ohio long-term care facility could spell trouble elsewhere, researchers...
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 13, 2014
A type of drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa discovered in an Ohio long-term care facility has killed one person and infected six others, according to clinician researchers. A dangerous genetic element...
Researchers discover new way of curing MRSA
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 14, 2013
Targeting cells known as persisters is a new and highly effective way of eradicating methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, according to newly published research.
LTC nurse could face 4 years in prison for alleged morphine mistake, cover-up
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 05, 2014
A nurse has been indicted for allegedly administering morphine to a nursing home resident by mistake and covering up her error while the resident experienced a health emergency, New York Attorney General...
SNFs should expect more ‘worthless services’ whistleblower charges, expert says
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 08, 2014
Skilled nursing facilities soon might be facing an onslaught of whistleblower lawsuits alleging “worthless services,” a legal expert cautioned Tuesday.
Ground-level falls lead to high rates of SNF admission, return trips to the hospital, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 12, 2014
Even if they do not hit the ground from a great height, elderly people who seek hospital care for a fall commonly go on to a skilled nursing facility, according to a recently published study. These seniors...