Theft from Michigan long-term care ombudsman jeopardizes HIPAA-protected information of 2,500 people
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 07, 2014
Thousands of people receiving long-term care in Michigan have had their personal information compromised due to a laptop and flash drive theft, the state’s Department of Community Health (MDCH) has...
Vibration could heal chronic diabetic wounds, researchers find
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 02, 2014
Diabetic foot ulcers and other chronic wounds might heal more quickly if they are exposed to gentle vibrations, suggests new research from the University of Illinois-Chicago and Stony Brook University...
Pest control company pleads guilty to misapplying poison and cover-up in nursing homes
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 18, 2014
The owner of a pest control company has pleaded guilty to endangering nursing home residents by improperly applying a pesticide and engaging in a cover-up, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
Providers could lose Medicaid money and patient information due to ICD-10 transition, researchers find
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 13, 2014
Healthcare providers could experience financial and information losses when they make the mandated transition to the new International Classification of Diseases coding system in October, according to...
Court expresses concern over Omnicare drug packaging practices but dismisses False Claims suit
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 26, 2014
A whistleblower exposed disturbing drug packaging practices being used by long-term care pharmacy Omnicare Inc., but the charges don’t fall under the False Claims Act, a federal appeals court recently...
Of Brookdale and branding: Thoughts for the small operator
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 25, 2014
Brookdale Senior Living’s acquisition of Emeritus Corp. is part of an ambitious strategy to make Brookdale the first truly national U.S. eldercare brand. So is it ominous that the Feb. 20 merger...
Nursing homes’ security threatened by information posted to hacker website
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 19, 2014
Documents posted to a file-sharing website could have been used to steal medical record and credit card information from three nursing homes in New York state, according to a Tuesday report in the Wall...
Nursing home provider fails in legal bid against ‘extrapolation method’ in determining Medicare...
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 18, 2014
A government contractor can calculate how much money a provider owes for Medicare overpayments by doing a limited audit and then extrapolating from those findings, a federal appeals court recently affirmed.
Authorities arrest nine nursing home workers in New York, bring criminally negligent homicide charges
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 12, 2014
Workers at a Long Island nursing home consistently neglected residents, leading to at least one death, while the facility’s owners pocketed $60 million in Medicaid payments meant for resident care,...
Remembering Philip Seymour Hoffman, long-term care firebrand
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 11, 2014
When Philip Seymour Hoffman died on Feb. 2, the world lost one of its great actors — and one of the most persuasive voices to speak out about the pitfalls of the changing long-term care system in the...