RAC groups battle provider plea for short-stay payment relief
By
John Hall
Feb 19, 2015
Third-party firms that audit Medicare bills for payment issues are pushing back hard against a hospital association plea for more favorable short-stay reimbursements, adding to the ongoing unwelcome specter...
Swelling Medicaid rolls have states, providers worried
By
John Hall
Feb 18, 2015
California’s Medicaid-eligible rolls are swelling as part of a nationwide expansion of the program under the Affordable Care Act, a finding that should give other states’ Medicaid agencies...
Senior centers should lower the music, research advises
By
John Hall
Feb 17, 2015
The positive benefits of music for the frail elderly abound in medical literature, but new research suggests music that is too loud may be more harmful than helpful.
Bill would speed DEA approval, curb drug misappropriations
By
John Hall
Feb 17, 2015
A Congressional panel late last week sent two bills to the House designed to curb prescription drug abuse and streamline Drug Enforcement Agency scheduling of approved controlled substances.
TV report questions nursing homes’ influence on regulators
By
John Hall
Feb 13, 2015
A TV station alleged Wednesday that Pennsylvania’s largest nursing home provider group may have undue influence over state regulators.
Law would enforce nursing home malpractice caps
By
John Hall
Feb 13, 2015
In a case that could have broad implications for providers nationwide, West Virginia lawmakers on Wednesday inched closer to passing a law that could place caps on jury awards in nursing home malpractice...
Efforts to stop improper Medicaid payouts for people with private insurance need to be intensified or the program could lose millions of dollars as it continues to expand, the Government Accountability...
State ombudsman programs must follow federal rules, HHS says
By
John Hall
Feb 12, 2015
The Department of Health and Human Services is giving states until July 1, 2016 to get in step with long-established federal guidelines governing the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program.
Report slams nursing home sex abuse probes
By
John Hall
Feb 11, 2015
A television station’s investigative team asserted Monday that nursing home sexual abuse incidents in Texas are not thoroughly investigated, and that state officials may not be doing enough to protect...
Pivotal hearing on ICD-10 implementation today: Time to join ‘the rest of the world’
By
John Hall
Feb 11, 2015
Payors, clinicians, suppliers and other staunch advocates of long-awaited ICD-10 codes will urge a House panel today to keep pushing its planned October 1 implementation date.