They get the point: Smile Squad crosses hallways to bring cheer to skilled nursing patients
By
Anjali Byju
Jul 25, 2023
At The Buckingham, a senior living community in Houston, 20 independent living residents are wearing smiles (and red aprons!) to help their skilled nursing neighbors. In the fall of 2018, resident Emily...
Bipartisan bills address hospital backlogs with nursing home pay
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Feb 06, 2023
Unable to attract enough workers to meet staffing minimums, many nursing homes across the US have closed wings or units or restricted new admissions over the past year. Washington may get a reprieve.
Provider lobbyists and lawmakers speed up pleas for help with physician fee cuts
By
Joe Bush
Dec 14, 2022
With a looming Friday deadline to keep the government funded, time is running out for Congress to prevent or abate Medicare physician’s fee cuts proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
A first: FDA approves drug to treat agitation in Alzheimer’s dementia
By
Alicia Lasek
May 12, 2023
For the first time, the FDA has approved a drug to treat agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Patient advocates are hailing the news, but prescribing the drug, an antipsychotic, may put...
BREAKING: PACS nursing home group files for public offering
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 14, 2024
PACS Group, a Utah-based nursing home operator that has quickly become one of the nation’s largest, filed the required paperwork Wednesday to become a public company.
Early screening curbs C. auris in ventilator-assisted facilities: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 02, 2023
Targeted screening for Candida auris at admission to ventilator-assisted units in nursing homes helps to identify colonized residents, physician researchers report.
BREAKING: CMS toughens stance on worst-performing nursing homes
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 21, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced it is increasing its scrutiny of chronically low-performing nursing homes by revising its Special Focus Facility Program.
Green House providers finally finding traction with state governments
By
Josh Henreckson
Dec 08, 2023
Providers pursuing Green House projects and prioritizing steps to enhance care quality such as private rooms have won significant victories on Medicaid reimbursement funding in Ohio.
‘Wrong-headed’ bill would limit nursing home financial power over residents
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Feb 15, 2023
Legislation proposed to protect seniors’ financial assets against bad actors connected with nursing homes would actually punish some vulnerable seniors, says a leading long-term care advocate in New...
Iowa awards $13.5M to build healthcare career pipeline
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Apr 19, 2023
The pool for potential nursing home workers in Iowa just grew by more than 300, thanks to state grants created to build a healthcare career pipeline.