Fewer LTC workers are getting their flu vaccines, report finds
By
Mary Gustafson
Nov 02, 2012
While influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers have increased overall, fewer long-term care facility employees are being vaccinated, a government survey has found.
Activities: Playing by numbers
By
John Andrews
Nov 02, 2012
Activities such as Wii bowling are popular with residents in long-term care facilities, but getting a return on investment requires marketing and diligence
OIG to study contractors
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 01, 2012
A new federal work plan declares that even the Medicare contractors charged with keeping close tabs on long-term care facilities will be put under the microscope during fiscal 2013.
State Medicaid spending growth, enrollment reach near record lows, report finds
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 25, 2012
Medicaid enrollment growth fell to 3.2% in 2012, compared to 4.4% in 2011. Government spending growth on Medicaid slowed to 2% in 2012, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation Commission on Medicaid and...
Providers should stay active in lame duck session, policy expert says
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 25, 2012
The observation stay loophole and sequestration cuts are among the top political issues that should concern providers this fall, a policy expert said Wednesday.
Nursing home chief: An Obama victory would be better
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 23, 2012
Hours before the final presidential debate started Monday, LeadingAge President and CEO Larry Minnix made it clear whom he thought long-term care providers need to vote for. While not outright campaigning...
CMS is two weeks late issuing report on fraud prevention efforts
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 17, 2012
Two Republican Senators want to know why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is two weeks overdue in issuing a report on the agency’s fraud prevention system (FPS).
How to Tell (and Sell) Your Rehospitalization Story
By
Pam Selker Rak and Gretchen Weaver
Oct 17, 2012
When operators and caregivers work so hard to address and excel at quality care initiatives, sometimes they forget to do what may seem like a “no-brainer” — tell others about their successes!
It’s Not Too Early to Prepare for QAPI
By
Jane M. Niemi, MSN, RN, NHA,
Oct 17, 2012
With a QAPI regulation in process and the subsequent date for submission of a facility QAPI plan to CMS a year after promulgation of the regulation pending, preparing for Quality Assurance and Performance...
Embrace Immediate Jeopardy triggers as quality assessment tool, experts say
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 10, 2012
While state surveyors vary in what they consider Immediate Jeopardy for long-term care residents, operators can use government guidelines to work on their quality assurance plans, experts advised Tuesday.