More changes ahead for the current ratings system: feds
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 06, 2015
Staffing and retention rates are expected to be added to the Nursing Home Compare website in 2016.
Clean it up, throw it out
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 06, 2015
Whenever I pass one of those cinderblock mini-storage places with double-loaded rows of strictly functional corridors, I think the same thing: “That looks like some nursing homes I’ve been...
Medicare payment group changes name
By
John O'Connor
Apr 06, 2015
A Medicare payment watchdog group saddled with huge case backlogs and heavily criticized for causing delays in resolving reimbursement issues has changed its name and location on the web.
They told us everything we need to know about the future — except what to do
By
John O'Connor
Apr 03, 2015
What should long-term care operators be doing to prepare for the future? Take your pick of these three things.
Dialysis: Gauging its need, and how to reduce its stress
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Mar 31, 2015
As a psychologist observing the effects of medical interventions on the mental health of the long-term care resident, I often ask, “Is this aggressive procedure helping?” As it turns out, so...
Why we sought Joint Commission accreditation
Mar 27, 2015
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me why I was seeking Joint Commission certification, I could max out my personal retirement contributions.
Addressing improper billing
By
Kristin Walter
Mar 23, 2015
The government has put the RAC program on a shelf, while they determine how to deal with confusion among providers regarding billing short inpatient hospital stays. It’s time now to get the RAC program...
Where were YOU when CMS changed the Five-Star rating system?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 20, 2015
Some things will always stay etched in our mind. Where were you on February 12, when CMS publicly announced immediate changes to the Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes?
Combatting CRE in long-term care
By
Rosie D. Lyles, M.D.
Mar 16, 2015
While rare among healthy people, certain types of infections are on the rise in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare settings where up to half of all bloodstream infections caused by this type...
Medicare auditors exaggerating predictions of insolvency, providers say
By
John Hall
Mar 12, 2015
Recovery audit contractors continue to bemoan an audit moratorium and are now saying it is contributing to dire predictions about Medicare program solvency. A RAC group says that General Accountability...