Study: Shorter hospital stays hike death risk, rehab problems after hip fracture
By
John Hall
Feb 26, 2015
Older patients need longer hospital stays after hip fractures or risk premature death, researchers assert this week in the British Medical Journal.
Officials: More additions and rebasings of nursing home ratings to come
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 23, 2015
Nearly one-third of the nation’s skilled nursing facilities lost a rating star due purely to administrative changes Friday, when regulators also emphasized that more quality measures will be added...
Medicaid expansion leading HCBS programs to rethink strategy: Researchers
By
John Hall
Feb 19, 2015
Researchers on Wednesday proposed ways to better identify the most susceptible nursing home candidates in order to ease the expected burden on programs designed to keep the chronically ill and frail elderly...
RAC groups battle provider plea for short-stay payment relief
By
John Hall
Feb 19, 2015
Third-party firms that audit Medicare bills for payment issues are pushing back hard against a hospital association plea for more favorable short-stay reimbursements, adding to the ongoing unwelcome specter...
Nursing homes to have first look at new quality-rating provisions today
By
Elizabeth Newman
Feb 13, 2015
Concerned providers will get their first look today at a newly rebased quality measurement scale under Nursing Home Compare 3.0
Changes to Five Star expected, providers fear lower ratings
By
Elizabeth Newman
Feb 12, 2015
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is expected to unveil major changes to Nursing Home Compare today that could cause facilities to lose rating stars, according to industry sources.
A palliative care focus
By
Diane E. Meier, M.D., FACP
Feb 01, 2015
Palliative care, specialized medical care focused on treating the symptoms and stress of serious illness, should be the standard of practice for all elderly people in skilled care settings.
Skilled sector fears massive doctor bill
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 01, 2015
Long-term care provider advocates kicked off a comprehensive lobbying campaign in January to encourage favorable reform to Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate formula for physicians.
Congressional advisors waver on eliminating observation stays
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 21, 2015
Getting rid of hospital observation stays might not be a good idea after all, according to Medicare Payment Advisory Commission members who previously pushed for the change. Even if observation status...
I couldn’t live without . . . My InnerView
Jan 01, 2015
Senior care leaders interested in setting a higher bar when it comes to long-term care resident and family satisfaction should look no further than My InnerView by the National Research Corporation, according...