‘Impossible’ Medicare Advantage denials decried during Senate hearing
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 18, 2023
A Senate subcommittee Wednesday sent letters to the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage insurers, demanding they reveal internal documents that illustrate how they make coverage determinations.
Switch to new MDS platform underpins feds’ growing drive for nursing home data
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 18, 2023
Providers should view the change to the iQies system as just the first step in an ongoing process to make it easier for federal regulators to gather and evaluate nursing home statistics.
Program that diagnosed fractures virtually led to fewer ER visits for LTC residents: study
By
Alicia Lasek
May 14, 2023
A program that enabled virtual diagnosis and on-site fracture care kept 100% of participating LTC residents out of the emergency department and cut the need for clinic visits, a new study reveals.
National Skilled Nursing Care Week kicks off Sunday
By
James M. Berklan
May 12, 2023
“Cultivating Kindness” is the theme of this year’s National Skilled Nursing Care Week, which begins Sunday. The annual event starts each year on Mother’s Day.
Ready, set, review!
By
Renee Kinder
May 11, 2023
We’ve all been waiting for this. We knew it was coming! What am I speaking of? The May 4, 2023, notice of Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) 5-Claim Probe and Educate Review, of course! Since the initiation...
Feds extend window for Provider Relief Funds, but will it matter?
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 11, 2023
Skilled nursing operators that didn’t land Provider Relief Funding in the federal COVID program’s final award phase might be in for a surprise — or they could ultimately face another round of disappointment.
As behavioral health demands grow, new federal center offers free SNF training
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 10, 2023
As federal regulators heighten pressure on skilled nursing facilities to accept and treat patients with mental health needs and substance abuse disorders, a new center is ramping up to equip providers...
When you wish upon a star
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
May 09, 2023
When I was a child, I remember watching the movie Pinocchio. For those not familiar with the story or movie, there was a character in it, a talking cricket named “Jiminy Cricket.” In the movie,...
Employer protections in spotlight as court considers ‘take-home’ COVID liability
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 08, 2023
Can an employer be held accountable for a spouse made deathly ill by the case of COVID-19 a loved one brought home from work?
Long-term care’s zeal for foreign nurses a ‘Band-Aid’ solution: researchers
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 05, 2023
In a new commentary, researchers likened long-term care organizations’ quest to entice immigrant nurses to using a Band-Aid to stop a hemorrhaging workforce wound.