Keeping incontinent residents healthy, dignified and satisfied is a full-time chore — if providers are educated and keeping a proper eye on those in their care
Study explores rural nursing challenges and opportunities
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 05, 2015
Rural facilities with higher ratios of RNs are associated with better outcomes, but the right staffing mix might be difficult to achieve.
Feds’ new pay-for-quality goals are OK, except …
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 05, 2015
Long-term care providers weren’t outwardly jumping for joy when it was announced that Medicare is going to start paying for quality, and not quantity, of services.
MedPAC changing tune on hospital observation stays?
Mar 04, 2015
Long-term care providers’ hopes for eliminating hospital observation stays may be fading after some Medicare Payment Advisory Commission members said they were re-thinking their positions on changing...
Operators brace for pared down ratings
By
Elizabeth Newman
Mar 04, 2015
Providers were gearing up at press time to explain to their staff and residents’ family members what a newly rebased federal quality measurement scale would mean.
State News for March 2015
Mar 04, 2015
ARKANSAS — A former circuit court judge recently admitted that a campaign contribution induced him to lower a jury award in a negligent death lawsuit brought by a nursing home resident’s family.
Profile: Barbara Gay
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 04, 2015
Growing up in a quintessential New England town with extended family all around, Barbara Gay always appreciated the rich relationships she had with older adults.
Rate drops for antipsychotics
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 04, 2015
Industry leaders were pleasantly surprised to learn that nursing home operators had exceeded goals for lowering unnecessary antipsychotics use. The level dropped by nearly 20% over a three-year span.
Controversial Medicare auditors group changes name, website
By
John Hall
Mar 02, 2015
A Medicare payment watchdog group saddled with huge case backlogs and heavily criticized for causing delays in resolving reimbursement issues has changed its name and location on the web.
‘Observation status’ provision under further review
By
John Hall
Feb 27, 2015
The American Health Care Association on Thursday applauded a House measure that would inform Medicare beneficiaries of their observation status as hospital inpatient or outpatients. But that might be little...