Lawmakers blast federal efforts to monitor and police Medicare fraud — again
By
McKnight's Staff
Jun 11, 2012
Lawmakers again hammered the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Medicare program integrity contractors Friday. The latest salvos were fueled by an agency admission that additional mistakes...
Ryan budget begets testimony on immigrant workers in nursing homes
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 15, 2013
Thursday’s Congressional hearing about immigration policy became a forum for discussing how the recently proposed budget from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) would affect long-term care providers.
Nursing homes on front line as White House weighs ‘bed tax’ reform
By
McKnight's Staff
Jan 16, 2013
Nursing homes could be hurt if the federal government lowers or eliminates the Medicaid provider tax threshold to reduce the national deficit, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research...
Republican healthcare platform calls for Medicare and Medicaid overhaul
By
McKnight's Staff
Aug 29, 2012
Republican National Convention delegates voted Tuesday on the party’s official platform, which proposes significant structural changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. It notably calls for...
No timeline for official QAPI regulation, but surveyors are learning program basics, CMS official says
By
McKnight's Staff
Jun 14, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services still cannot say when an official regulation will be established for the Quality Assessment and Performance Initiative, but that’s not stopping the agency...
Comments on a public conference call led to whistleblower lawsuit against nursing home therapy provider
By
McKnight's Staff
May 28, 2013
Comments made during a therapy provider’s public conference call in 2006 aroused the suspicion of a listener, who went on to file a whistleblower lawsuit. This was disclosed in a recent court filing...
Government initiatives aim to decrease number of disabled people in nursing homes
By
McKnight's Staff
May 17, 2013
The federal government is ramping up efforts to reduce the number of disabled people in nursing homes through interagency initiatives. While many disabled people have already been moved out of nursing...
SNF residents can sue operators over staffing, appeals court says
By
McKnight's Staff
Aug 17, 2012
California nursing home residents have more ammunition to sue the operators of the facilities they live in for violating state nurse-staffing regulations, an appeals court ruled this week.
OSHA contacts about 1,000 nursing homes as possible inspection targets
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 29, 2013
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently sent letters to about 1,000 nursing homes with high worker injury and illness rates in 2011, warning that they may be subject to inspections.
Antipsychotic drug use correlated to staffing levels
By
McKnight's Staff
May 01, 2012
While antipsychotic drug use overuse has decreased since 2005, nearly a quarter of U.S. nursing homes are still giving many residents the medications against recommendations, a Boston Globe analysis reveals.