Medicaid Integrity Contractors failed to find overpayments in the majority of their audits for the first half of 2010, leading the Office of Inspector General to recommend that the Centers for Medicare...
HHS wants $10 million potential payday for Medicare fraud whistleblowers
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 26, 2013
The Department of Health and Human Services is trying to encourage Medicare fraud whistleblowers by substantially increasing their potential reward. The current maximum award of $1,000 would go up to $9.9...
Long-term care providers, hospitals successfully partner to reduce rehospitalizations
By
McKnight's Staff
Jan 24, 2013
Long-term care facilities that coordinate with other healthcare providers play a vital role in reducing rehospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study published January 23 in The...
Hearthstone awarded top Transitions prize in McKnight’s Technology Awards
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 05, 2012
By adopting a wireless daily living documentation tool, Hearthstone Health Center lowered its hospital readmission rates by 5.5%. That earned Hearthstone the Gold Award in the Transitions category of the...
Federal officials crack $375 million home healthcare fraud scheme
By
McKnight's Staff
Feb 29, 2012
Federal officials have brought down what they said is the largest home health fraud scheme ever concocted. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said around $375 million was billed incorrectly to...
Poll: Public strongly supports Medicare, opposes cuts
By
McKnight's Staff
Jan 28, 2013
Medicare spending should not be cut to reduce the national deficit, according to the majority of respondents ina recent national poll from the Harvard School of Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation...
CDC: Flu hitting elderly especially hard, but only half of nursing home workers vaccinated
By
McKnight's Staff
Jan 22, 2013
The 2012-13 flu season has been especially bad for the elderly, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in a call with reporters. Despite this, CDC figures show about half...
Texas long-term care becomes big winner in receipt of federal innovation grants
By
McKnight's Staff
Jun 18, 2012
Texas has received a windfall of federal funding to test care coordination programs between acute and long-term care providers.
Nursing home costs approach $84,000 a year, Genworth survey shows
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 10, 2013
The cost of long-term care continues to rise, according to the 10th annual Cost of Care Survey from insurance company Genworth. The median annual cost of a private nursing home room reached $83,950 this...
LTC operators exercise caution, implement plans for Hurricane Sandy
By
McKnight's Staff
Oct 30, 2012
As waves pounded the Eastern Seaboard on Monday due to Hurricane Sandy, long-term care facilities put their disaster response plans to work.