Congress leaves Medicare and Medicaid untouched in $1.1 trillion spending bill
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 16, 2014
The $1.1 trillion spending bill passed by the Senate on Saturday will fund the government through September 2015, without any major changes to Medicare or Medicaid.
Nursing homes can assess nutritional status by measuring residents’ calves rather than body mass...
By
Tim Mullaney
May 27, 2014
Nursing home caregivers can get a good idea of residents’ nutritional status by measuring their calves rather than calculating their body mass index with height and weight, according to recently...
A historically large data breach at Community Health Systems has been linked to the infamous Heartbleed bug, which could lead to a “tipping point” in how healthcare providers approach data...
CMS updates coding instructions for hospice site of service, principal diagnosis
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 02, 2014
A new Medicare hospice manual update includes instructions for which principal diagnosis codes are acceptable, and clarifies which codes should be used for services in a skilled versus non-skilled nursing...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently addressed provider questions related to regulations pertaining to discharge assessments and agreements between skilled nursing and hospice providers.
CCRC reaches $1.5 million settlement in case of resident smothered to death by staff member
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 05, 2014
A South Carolina continuing care retirement community has entered into a $1.5 million civil settlement in the case of a resident who was murdered by a staff member.
Government proposes long-term care EHR certification criteria, seeks provider comments
By
Tim Mullaney
May 16, 2014
Long-term care providers might soon be able to look for the government’s seal of approval when shopping for electronic health records systems, if newly proposed certification criteria take effect.
Ruling: No penalties mean no chance to appeal rating
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 01, 2013
Nursing homes that dispute a deficiency citation without Immediate Jeopardy and want it stricken from the public record should consider withholding a plan of correction, a recent court ruling suggests.
Mandate delay gives prep time
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 01, 2013
The Obama administration has delayed implementing a key part of the Affordable Care Act, and a legal expert said operators should seize this opportunity.
CMS revises hospice rules
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 02, 2013
A long-term care provider and its hospice partner will need to draw up a detailed contract, according to a final rule released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and published in the Federal...