CMS proposes more rigorous emergency preparedness rules for long-term care facilities
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 03, 2014
Long-term care facilities would have to meet more comprehensive emergency preparedness guidelines, under a newly proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Senators weigh need for individual mandate in long-term care financing reform
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 19, 2013
Senators and a panel of experts wrangled over whether effective long-term care reform hinges on a federal mandate for all individuals to buy some type of LTC insurance, at a Special Committee on Aging...
Ensuring nursing home quality is a top challenge for HHS in 2014, inspector general says
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 18, 2013
Promoting quality care in long-term care settings is one of the top management challenges facing the Department of Health and Human Services in the next year, according to a report from the agency’s...
CDC to families: Press long-term care staff to get vaccinated for flu
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 17, 2013
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention singled out long-term care professionals in a recent influenza vaccination briefing, calling on them to be vaccinated and urging family members...
I saw the (nursing home) sign part II: Trouble in Goffstown
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 17, 2013
A small-town conflict over signage has pitted a New Hampshire nursing home against its neighbors — and might suggest some larger trends in long-term care.
MedPAC renews call for long-term care payment cuts, draws fire from providers
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 13, 2013
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has recommended a 4% reduction in skilled nursing facility payments in 2016, prompting an outcry from providers.
House and Senate ACA-replacement bills propose universal long-term care coverage
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 11, 2013
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have introduced a bill to institute a single-payer healthcare system that would include universal long-term care coverage.
Large nonprofit LTC providers have embraced electronic health records, information exchange lags, survey...
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 09, 2013
The nation’s largest not-for-profit long-term care providers have implemented electronic health records, but there is still much room for growth when it comes to the sharing of digital data, according...
Hospital group to implement CAUTI reduction program in long-term care facilities nationwide
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 06, 2013
A successful program to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitals will be expanded into long-term care settings nationwide, under a contract recently awarded by the Agency for Healthcare...
Ruling affirms OBRA limits
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 01, 2013
A federal court recently ruled in favor of a Pennsylvania long-term care facility, upholding an argument that individuals cannot bring lawsuits under the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act.