The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently updated instructions on coding hospice claims. Billing staffs should be aware of these changes, which went into effect Oct. 1, CMS stated in a memorandum...
Long-term care facilities refusing free CMS resource on dementia, nurses association says
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 17, 2014
Some nursing homes are not accepting a dementia training resource sent by the government, even though it is free and recommended, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Nursing.
Special lights improve behavior, sleep and eating for nursing home residents with dementia, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 05, 2014
Installing a particular kind of light in nursing homes could soothe residents with dementia and improve their sleep and eating patterns, according to recently published research findings.
Early dementia screening is accurate but pointless, researchers find
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 23, 2013
Assessment tools can effectively identify people in the early stages of dementia, but existing evidence suggests there is no pressing reason to do this type of cognitive screening, according to newly published...
Nursing homes send too many dementia residents to the hospital in their last year of life, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 11, 2014
Nursing homes could do a better job of keeping residents with dementia out of the hospital during their last year of life, suggests recently published findings in Health Affairs.
Chance of a senior developing Alzheimer’s has dropped 44% over the last three decades, large U.S....
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 16, 2014
The odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease fell sharply among seniors in the United States over the last 30 years, according to research presented Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International...
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...
CMS budget defines nursing home quality targets, requests an additional $50 million for surveys
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 12, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 requests additional funds for survey activities and lists the agency’s targets for nursing home quality measures.
Bill would create ‘advanced aide’ positions in nursing homes to improve transitions, dementia...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 14, 2014
Advanced certified nursing assistants — with specialized skills in care transitions, dementia and other areas — could become important staff leaders in long-term care facilities through newly proposed...
Details on special lights to improve dementia care: A fish tale
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 17, 2014
In the last week, quite a few McKnight’s readers have asked me for more details about special lights that improve dementia symptoms, prompting me to dig deeper into this story. I’ve learned...