By negotiating now, a nursing home can have a strong voice in an Accountable Care Organization. Otherwise, ACOs will come to nursing homes in two or three years with a “take it or leave it”...
Medicare penalties far exceed bonus payments to hospitals, analysis finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 23, 2015
Recently implemented Medicare penalties are having a greater impact on hospitals than newly available bonuses, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis.
Hospice is growing fastest in skilled nursing facilities, new report shows
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 05, 2014
Hospice services increased in nursing homes more than in any other care setting last year, according to the latest annual report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
CMS updates coding instructions for hospice site of service, principal diagnosis
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 02, 2014
A new Medicare hospice manual update includes instructions for which principal diagnosis codes are acceptable, and clarifies which codes should be used for services in a skilled versus non-skilled nursing...
Nursing homes trail hospitals in quality improvement, AHRQ report shows
By
Tim Mullaney
May 19, 2014
About 60% of nursing home quality measures have been showing significant year-to-year improvement, but hospitals have been improving more quickly, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Kindred faces $2 million verdict in nursing home assault case with no eyewitnesses
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 24, 2014
A jury recently slapped Kindred Healthcare with a $2 million verdict in a resident abuse case that turned on testimony from medical experts, attorneys announced Thursday.
Assisted living residents cannot sue under nursing home law in New Jersey, federal court rules
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 05, 2014
A state law to protect nursing home residents cannot be invoked to bring a suit against an assisted living provider, a federal judge recently ruled, reversing his earlier decision.
Brookdale targets new goal: national brand recognition
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 01, 2014
Brookdale Senior Living is known as one of the largest U.S. assisted living operators, but the Tennessee-based company has ambitious plans to establish itself as the national leader across the whole continuum...
ACA put the brakes on spending across the care continuum, White House economists say
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 21, 2013
Spending on healthcare, including skilled nursing care, has grown at a historically slow rate in the last three years, according to a new analysis from the Council of Economic Advisers. The group, which...
Better staffing means better care, new nursing home state rankings suggest
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 13, 2013
Staffing is a key factor in determining a nursing home’s quality of care, according to new state-by-state analysis from advocacy group Families for Better Care.