New CMS guide serves as road map for Medicare coverage, coding
Sep 02, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hopes that a new online guide for Medicare beneficiaries and healthcare providers will be a “one-stop shop” for information on coverage, coding...
Nursing homes prepare for worst with Hurricane Gustav
Aug 29, 2008
Their memories of Hurricanes Katrina and the Rita still vivid, nursing home administrators in the Gulf Coast area are bracing for what could be the first major storm there in three years-Hurricane Gustav.
Advancing Excellence campaign receives major grant from Commonwealth Fund
Aug 28, 2008
The Commonwealth Fund has awarded a $474,000 grant to the steering committee of the Advancing Excellence campaign, a two-year campaign that aims to improve care in the nation’s nursing homes.
OIG to release final report uncovering CMS’ inaccurate Medicare fraud reduction claims
Aug 26, 2008
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General is expected to file a final report this week criticizing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for overstating its...
Tropical storm Fay leaves Florida’s nursing homes largely unscathed
Aug 25, 2008
In the wake of Tropical Storm Fay, nursing homes throughout Florida have been receiving visits from state inspectors, and it appears that facilities have weathered the storm well.
Democrats include long-term care reform in policy platform
Aug 21, 2008
The Democratic Party has included long-term care reform as a plank in its policy platform.
States fail to report troubled Medicaid providers to OIG, report finds
Aug 14, 2008
States are not reporting those Medicaid providers that have been suspended or excluded from their state programs, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector...
CMS halts 75% Rule at 60% level, disappointing nursing homes
Aug 11, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a regulation Friday that reduces the 75% Rule pertaining to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) to 60%.
Committee OKs legislation that would increase number of foreign-educated nurses in nursing homes
Aug 05, 2008
Nursing-home providers this week expressed approval for legislation recently approved by a House committee that would increase the number of foreign-educated nurses in the U.S.
Blood-pressure drugs good for brain, study finds
Jul 30, 2008
The use of blood-pressure drugs is linked to a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and a reduced likelihood of entering a nursing home, Boston University School of Medicine researchers found.