Feds ramp up nursing home sanctions for poor care performance
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 24, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will more aggressively enforce accountability in its Special Focus Facilities (SFF) Program, the Biden Administration said Friday.
Report: Changes to Medicare, Medicaid could block healthcare access, lead to more deaths
By
Kristen Fischer
Apr 24, 2024
Raising the age of Medicare eligibility, among other proposed changes to Medicare and Medicaid, could cause more deaths, according to a research article published this week in the Proceedings of the National...
Clinical briefs for Monday, May 6
By
Donna Shryer
May 06, 2024
Two studies: Cancer patients two times more likely to die from COVID-19 … Negative colonoscopy may mean longer interval between repeat test … Hip osteoarthritis in older adults linked to spinal deformity...
AMDA endorses a national medical order to honor frail residents’ wishes
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 06, 2020
A nationally recognizable POLST form would give seriously ill or frail seniors the ability to communicate treatment preferences across care settings, the organization says.
Weekly walk for transportation purposes may help older adults live longer: study
By
Kristen Fischer
May 03, 2024
Older adults who walked instead of taking motor transport when they needed to get somewhere lived longer than those who opted for other forms of transportation, a new study finds.
Most post-acute Medicare recipients with dementia sent to SNFs despite payment changes: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 15, 2021
Investigators were surprised to find that post-acute care use patterns remained stable after major payment reform initiatives. Beneficiaries with dementia were sent to skilled nursing facilities more often...
Clinical briefs for Wednesday, March 9
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 09, 2022
AHCA requests sit-down with Biden and top officials on nursing home reform plans … CDC director says COVID-19 will ‘probably’ become seasonal … Despite FDA efforts, fewer than 20% of drugs have...
CMS: Lapses in infection control, vaccine compliance to garner ‘aggressive’ enforcement
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 04, 2023
Federal regulators have quietly put in place new, stricter enforcement measures for nursing homes that struggle to meet infection control and vaccine immunization requirements for residents and staff.
CMS to begin audits for schizophrenia coding, says citations will affect quality ratings
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 19, 2023
The agency will start auditing nursing homes this month to determine whether residents’ schizophrenia diagnoses are accurate and appropriately coded. A pattern of inaccurate coding may result in a quality...
Small effort, big gains: 30 minutes of exercise may help prevent lethal form of stroke
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 25, 2019
Thirty minutes of weekly exercise may offer protection against subarachnoid hemorrhage [SAH], a life-threatening type of stroke, says a new report.