Opt-in COVID vaccine program kicks off; Feds partner with CVS, Walgreens
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 19, 2020
Long-term care facilities nationwide can voluntarily opt in to a free pharmacy partnership program that will provide and administer future COVID-19 vaccines on site, federal officials announced Friday.
White House plan to distribute 7 million N95 respirators to nursing homes welcome, but more still needed
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 19, 2020
A plan to distribute 7 million N95 respirator masks from the federal stockpile to nursing homes is promising but a more coordinated strategy is needed to beat the pandemic, according to a leading industry...
Tomorrow’s nursing homes must integrate palliative care
Jan 09, 2015
Palliative care, a form of patient-centered care focused on quality of life for the seriously ill, should be the standard of practice for all elderly patients with complex illness in nursing homes.
FL hospice, nursing homes, hospital passed patients back and forth to juice profits, whistleblowers charge
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 29, 2014
Two Florida nursing homes and a hospital allowed a hospice company to provide free services in exchange for patient referrals, according to recently unsealed whistleblower charges.
Omnicare off the hook in drug packaging case after Supreme Court passes
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 09, 2014
Long-term care pharmacy Omnicare will not face False Claims Act penalties for drug packaging practices that apparently ran afoul of safety regulations. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up the...
Lawmakers demand answers about rating system quirks
By
John O'Connor
Oct 01, 2014
After The New York Times noted that providers are apparently gaming the Five Star rating system by enhancing staffing and quality data, federal lawmakers quickly put an indignant pen to paper.
State News for August 2014
Aug 01, 2014
KANSAS — The state no longer will publicly release survey results for nursing homes going through the informal dispute resolution process, the Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) recently...
One simple way to improve the cash flow of your nursing home
By
Marco Terry
Jul 18, 2014
One of the most common ways to improve the cash flow of a nursing home is to ask vendors for 30-day payment terms.
Providers could be slapped with monetary penalties for slow response to document requests under OIG proposal
By
Tim Mullaney
May 13, 2014
Long-term care providers are facing an expanded list of infractions that could trigger civil monetary penalties, including slow response to document requests. The proposed regulation from the Department...
Cash-strapped feds to cut back Medicare oversight this year, OIG official says
By
Tim Mullaney
May 05, 2014
One of nursing homes’ most vigilant government watchdogs plans to dramatically curb its activities this year, a federal official has told the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health. The Department...