Hospitals slap the government with lawsuits over ‘two-midnight’ policy to reduce observation...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 16, 2014
The American Hospital Association and other hospital groups have sued the federal government over the so-called “two-midnight rule,” which was designed in part to ease access to skilled nursing...
Government would pay seniors to create advanced directives under Senate bill
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 16, 2014
Medicare beneficiaries would be paid to create advance directives and store them in an easy-access system if a recently proposed Senate bill were to become law.
What Chipotle can teach long-term care
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 15, 2014
I love Chipotle. What makes the burrito purveyor so great? The real secret might be how it grooms and retains its managers — it’s an approach long-term care leaders might do well to study.
CMS: Hospice quality reporting to begin July 1, will require admission and discharge records
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 14, 2014
Providers will have to report certain hospice quality measures to the federal government starting July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services formally announced in a recent Federal Register notice.
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...
Skilled nursing edges toward 90% occupancy, absorption rate makes first gain in nearly a decade, NIC...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 14, 2014
Skilled nursing facilities’ occupancy rate continued to tick up in the first three months of 2014, while absorption flipped into positive territory for the first time in almost a decade, according...
Hospitals worried about readmissions should focus on nearby nursing homes’ pressure ulcer stats,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 11, 2014
Out of various quality measures, pressure ulcer prevalence in particular predicts whether a nursing home will readmit residents to the hospital, according to newly published findings in HSR: Health Services...
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.
CMS releases Medicare physician payment information, includes some nursing home affiliations
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 10, 2014
Long-term care providers and residents now can glean insights into where their local doctors stack up nationally by referring to newly released data on Medicare physician payments. For the first time ever,...
Theft from Michigan long-term care ombudsman jeopardizes HIPAA-protected information of 2,500 people
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 07, 2014
Thousands of people receiving long-term care in Michigan have had their personal information compromised due to a laptop and flash drive theft, the state’s Department of Community Health (MDCH) has...