Medicare demonstration project to cover hospice, curative care
Sep 08, 2010
The Medicare program is gearing up to begin a 15-site demonstration project that will provide both hospice care and life-sustaining treatments to Medicare beneficiaries, according to recent reports.
A new idea for hospice in long-term care
By
Larry Beresford
Jun 29, 2010
The latest research raises the question of whether nursing homes should take charge of hospice care and not rely on outside contractors.
Health reform, Steve Jobs and owning more of the aging services pie
By
Anthony Cirillo
May 05, 2010
To survive in this new era of healthcare reform, long-term care organizations need to carve out a bigger role in the continuum of care.
Agency’s crackdown on drug thefts hurts nursing home residents, senators say
Oct 30, 2009
The Drug Enforcement Agency’s efforts to combat narcotics abuse and theft in nursing homes actually negatively affect those residents and hospice care patients who need pain medications, two senators...
Move toward certifying electronic health records must include long-term care
By
John Derr
Oct 21, 2009
Long-term care must have have certified electronic health records to keep pace with the rest of the healthcare industry.
New congressional report lends credibility to end-of-life provision in House reform bill
Aug 14, 2009
A report released this week has found that end-of-life planning and discussions both improves quality of life near death and is associated with less aggressive and less costly care.
Obama addresses rumors about healthcare reform, accuses opponents of using scare tactics
Aug 12, 2009
President Barack Obama attempted to clear up misconceptions about healthcare reform in a town hall meeting Tuesday. One rumor he addressed is that reform would create government death panels that would...
Hospice payment system requires reform, staff tells MedPAC
Nov 11, 2008
Medicare hospice payment reform will be necessary to combat the rising cost of hospice, staff members suggested recently to the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC).
New palliative care ethical guideline released
Jul 01, 2008
Palliative care workers are allowed to sedate some patients with intractable pain at the end of life–but only as a last-resort measure, according to a new ethical guideline approved by the American...