The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently finalized 2014 Medicare rate updates for hospices and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and also laid out quality metrics. Hospices will receive...
Updated palliative care guidelines: Providers should increase coordination, embrace QAPI
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 15, 2013
Palliative care should follow care coordination and quality improvement processes called for by the Affordable Care Act, according to updated guidelines from the National Consensus Project for Quality...
Reduce Medicare payments for hospice care in skilled nursing facilities, MedPAC suggests
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 08, 2013
The government should consider Medicare payment cuts for hospice services provided in skilled nursing facilities, according to Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) commissioners. A reduction of...
Former exec alleges Florida hospice filed claims for patients not terminally ill; government joins lawsuit
By
McKnight's Staff
Sep 10, 2012
The federal government has joined a whistleblower lawsuit against a Florida hospice over what it says were fraudulent Medicare payments, the Department of Justice announced.
Are you ready for The Conversation?
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 23, 2012
There are few things I loathe more in the world than ice-breaking, “getting-to-know-you games.” The problem is, though, I’m exactly the kind of person who often needs an icebreaker to...
Hospices see Medicare payment increase
Jul 26, 2012
Medicare payments to hospice providers had a slight boost in 2013, according to a regulator notice released Tuesday. These providers also should be preparing to report quality data and additional diagnosis...
Take advantage of the changing long-term care marketplace, top execs urge
By
Elizabeth Newman
May 08, 2012
Long-term care providers should hone in on the changing needs of their market by embracing what customers want and will pay for, and by working to change the profession’s image problem, LTC executives...
Maryland mandates end-of-life wishes form for LTC residents
Oct 11, 2011
Maryland healthcare professionals will soon be required to complete a form outlining a patient’s end-of-life wishes upon admission to a long-term care facility, according to a new regulation.
Study: Nursing home hospice services improved care for dementia patients, families say
Aug 01, 2011
Nursing home hospice services boosted care and support for residents dying of dementia and their families, according to new research.
Critics of nursing-home hospices suspicious of revenue
Jan 31, 2011
When a major lobbying group trumpeted the long-term care industry’s status as an economic and job-creating powerhouse last week, critics took the opportunity to press for further inquiries into how...