Expanded surveys will focus on staffing, MDS coding
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 04, 2014
Special surveys to determine Minimum Data Set coding accuracy and nursing home staffing levels will occur nationwide in 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in an Oct. 31 memorandum....
New hospice comparison tool uses government info, Washington Post calls for more transparency
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2014
In the absence of a hospice consumer guide from the government, The Washington Post has created one using available Medicare data. The newspaper unveiled the quality tool Sunday, in an article criticizing...
Judge approves $38 million settlement in ManorCare case
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 27, 2014
HCR ManorCare will pay $38 million under a legal settlement recently approved by a judge in West Virginia. The award to plaintiffs was originally $91 million until the state Supreme Court reduced it in...
Nursing home asked for employee’s personal information too often, jury rules
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 24, 2014
The human resources department of a Maine nursing home did not properly protect a former employee’s personal identification information, a jury recently ruled.
Subliminal messages: A basic part of nursing home care?
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 21, 2014
“Will your app deliver subliminal messages to my residents?” I did not hear that question yesterday while I wandered the expo hall at the annual LeadingAge conference. But perhaps I will next...
Spreading too thin?
By
Amy Novotney
Oct 01, 2014
Lenders encourage facility operators to think twice before pursing alternative models of care; ‘jack-of-all-trades’ a challenging label to embrace
Verify payroll totals for rankings: letter
By
John O'Connor
Oct 01, 2014
Federal regulators need to collect nursing home staffing data directly from payroll systems rather than from providers themselves, members of the Congressional Seniors Task Force said in a recent letter...
No need for injury
By
Stephanie H. Kim
Sep 01, 2014
Due to dynamic factors in moving residents, facilities must invest wisely in lifts, slings and batteries to make sure workers stay safe while performing transfers
60 seconds with … Ed McMahon, Ph.D.
Sep 01, 2014
Q: You recently received the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award from the American Health Care Association. What are some of the biggest current obstacles to improving quality in long-term care?
State News for September 2014
Sep 01, 2014
MAINE – The state’s nursing homes will get their first Medicaid rate increase in six years after a breathtaking display of mid-summer political brinksmanship. But dark days still loom in a...