CMS may require more stringent provider screening for Medicare, Medicaid enrollment, participation
Sep 22, 2010
Some healthcare providers would be subject to criminal background checks and fingerprinting under a new fraud-prevention plan from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
New MedPAC report explores provider incentives, assesses physician payment schedule
Jun 17, 2010
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) on Tuesday submitted to Congress its June 2010 report, which focuses on using Medicare incentives to improve quality of care and make efficient use of...
Post-acute providers need electronic health records, too
By
Carol Everhart
Apr 21, 2010
The federal push to create electronic health records must include post-acute providers, such as skilled nursing facilities.
Obama issues memo to ensure that hospitals honor patients’ end-of-life wishes
Apr 20, 2010
A presidential memorandum aims to protect the rights of hospital patients on Medicare and Medicaid who are approaching the end of their lives.
Need grows for therapy caps resolution
By
Liza Berger
Feb 05, 2010
My how things change. Just a month ago a healthcare reform bill seemed en route to passage. Now its very existence is in question and, by extension, some key long-term care services are too.
Report: Medicare cuts in Senate bill could lead to earnings losses at some nursing homes
Dec 14, 2009
About one in five nursing homes, hospitals and home care agencies could fall into the red as a result of Medicare cuts in the Senate healthcare reform bill, a new government study finds.
Everyone needs a long-term care plan
By
Ken Dychtwald
Nov 18, 2009
My parents wisely purchased long-term care insurance. They have showed me that now more than ever, it’s important to think ahead.
Proposed rule would ‘trigger’ notification of breach of patient privacy
Oct 27, 2009
The Department of Health and Human Services should retain its “risk of harm” standard in the final rule on breach notification for unsecured protected health information, the American Hospital...
Database of disciplined nurses still off-limits to nursing homes and hospitals
Sep 04, 2009
The Department of Health and Human Services over the years has kept hidden from nursing homes and hospitals a database of nurses and other healthcare workers who have been disciplined by state licensing...
Move to improve residents’ quality of life a welcome development
By
Nancy L. Gorman
Aug 04, 2009
Enhanced standards from The Joint Commission complement new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Both emphasize improving the quality of life of long-term care residents.