Medicare appeals backlog to be fixed by 2020, HHS says
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 06, 2016
Federal health officials say tweaks to the system will enable them to eradicate a massive backlog of Medicare decision appeals in 2019. They made the prediction in a court brief filed in U.S. District...
‘Spending down’ for Medicaid is the most practical LTC financing plan for most Americans,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 14, 2014
Forgoing long-term care insurance and relying on Medicaid is the smartest financial planning decision for the majority of unmarried Americans, according to investigators at Boston College’s Center...
Ask the care expert … about top deficiencies
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Dec 01, 2014
We’re hoping to prep our facilities for quality-improvement efforts. Is there a list of the top deficiencies?
Star ratings? Give ’em two big thumbs down
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 01, 2009
For a while, it appeared the feds had pulled it off: Nobody was going to be watching the right hand while the left hand fiddled away.
RAC program fails to adequately reduce improper payments: GAO
Apr 05, 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has fallen short in its efforts to prevent improper Medicare payments through the use of recovery audit contractors (RACs),a new Government Accountability Office...
Fracture risks among elderly rise after hospital visits
Aug 18, 2008
People in their 70s who were hospitalized showed a threefold increase in the risk of bone fractures during the year following admission, according to a new report.
Raising sensitive issues
By
John Andrews
Nov 01, 2014
Wound care gets most of the attention, but ostomy management is another critical need for long-term care residents that deserves study, improvement
Nursing home quality could improve with better palliative care interventions, large-scale trial shows
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 23, 2014
By following practices that are common in home-based hospice care, nursing homes can improve the comfort and dignity of residents who are dying, according to new study results.
Two SNF employees, police chief among dead in nursing home shooting
By
May 15, 2017
Two Ohio nursing home employees and a police officer are dead following a shooting at the facility Friday morning.
Kindred repositions services to guarantee future growth
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 01, 2013
Kindred Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest long-term care operators, has completed the first phase of a repositioning plan and is entering a period of growth, company leaders recently announced.