Citing staffing shortages, another hospital shutters its long-term care wing
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 06, 2019
Relying largely on contracted staff when they couldn’t recruit enough nurses, leaders at Providence Health Care in Washington state could do little more than watch as costs for their 40-bed long-term...
Joint bundle pushes costs down — at SNFs’ expense
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 04, 2019
The first two years of a mandatory payment bundle for joint replacements saved Medicare more than 2% annually, but much of it came through reduced payments to post-acute providers.
Researchers: Train more non-docs in palliative care or suffer dire consequences
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 04, 2019
Skilled nursing residents are likely to be hit especially hard by shortages of palliative care physicians over the next 25 years, according to a new study.
Higher nursing home staffing levels produce fewer flu hospitalizations
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 31, 2019
Increasing nurse staffing hours can help cut down on flu- and pneumonia-related hospitalizations, according to a new study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
Hospital sinks $37 million into new nursing home that will operate like a hotel
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 29, 2019
Orlando Health saw an opportunity to build its skilled nursing base after looking closely at its aging post-acute facility in Winter Garden, FL.
Out in front: Program puts residents back in the bike seat
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 21, 2019
Residents at a Wisconsin nursing home got a long-awaited taste of spring, perched in the front seat of a trishaw as a pilot pedaled them around the grounds.
Study: Monitors lead to better turning practices
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 21, 2019
Visual monitors that cued staff to reposition nursing home residents every two hours led to more frequent turning in a study of a 120-bed nursing home.
Today’s mobile LTC resident can add layers of complication to bathing safety
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 01, 2019
Given an increasingly ambulatory population, the presence of water and the kind of warm and moist environment that invites bacteria to breed, risk is inherent in skilled nursing bathing areas.
PDPM will reduce clinical requirements but demands more attention to detail
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 04, 2019
As complex and daunting as the new Patient-Driven Payment Model seems, one change most providers have welcomed is the reduction in resident assessments for therapy.
Staff texting can be a lifeline, but convenience comes with a cost, experts warn providers
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 03, 2019
Late last year, anyone using the right search terms could have stumbled onto an open database containing valuable text messages that should have remained private — including appointment and billing information...