CMS: Nurse shortage means hospices can keep using contracted workers
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 08, 2014
Hospices can continue to rely on contract nurses because an ongoing nurse shortage is preventing providers from meeting their staffing needs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in a...
Special lights improve behavior, sleep and eating for nursing home residents with dementia, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 05, 2014
Installing a particular kind of light in nursing homes could soothe residents with dementia and improve their sleep and eating patterns, according to recently published research findings.
Extendicare to sell US businesses for $870 million
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 10, 2014
Extendicare will sell nearly all of its U.S. operations to an investor group in an $870 million deal, the Canada-based long-term care company announced Friday.
Gun threats at nursing home get resident’s husband 41-month prison sentence
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 06, 2014
An Oregon man faces 41 months in prison after threatening to shoot nursing home workers, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced Tuesday.
Government whistleblower lawsuit: PharMerica improperly dispensed, billed for narcotics
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 13, 2013
Long-term care pharmacy company PharMerica dispensed controlled narcotics without valid prescriptions and billed Medicare for the drugs, the federal government has charged in a False Claims Act lawsuit.
House bill would give some long-term care providers a break from the employer mandate
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 21, 2014
Certain long-term care providers would get a temporary break on Affordable Care Act requirements regarding employee insurance plans under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives.
Early dementia screening is accurate but pointless, researchers find
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 23, 2013
Assessment tools can effectively identify people in the early stages of dementia, but existing evidence suggests there is no pressing reason to do this type of cognitive screening, according to newly published...
Legislation would scrutinize long-term care owners
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 20, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would have to more scrupulously verify that providers are not owned by people with a history of fraud, if a recently introduced House bill becomes law.
CMS: Many skilled nursing providers have poor Medicare certification and recertification practices
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 22, 2014
The rate of improper Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities has increased largely due to issues with certification and recertification statements, according to a recently released government memorandum....
Nursing homes suffering from reimbursement shifts to home care, market analysis finds
By
Tim Mullaney
May 14, 2014
Reimbursement is shifting to home health, hurting the finances of skilled nursing facilities, a newly released market analysis states.