State long-term care bill would fund workforce initiatives but stiffen provider penalties
By
Josh Henreckson
Jul 12, 2024
Eight months after its passage through the Massachusetts State House, a bill to fund investments in the long-term care workforce and increase state oversight powers appears poised to pass the State Senate.
Health lawyers, bioethicist call for tighter regulation of AI in prior authorizations
By
Josh Henreckson
Jul 11, 2024
While artificial intelligence promises exciting efficiency benefits, its usage in insurance prior authorizations demands wider and more holistic oversight from state and federal bodies, a trio of experts...
Docs, therapists to see pay cut but caregivers score in ’25 physician pay rule
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 10, 2024
Doctors, therapists and others billing under the physician fee schedule would see an average 2.93% reduction in Medicare pay next year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed Wednesday.
Frustration, fury: Lawmakers renew push as new report skewers drug middlemen on pricing
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 10, 2024
An interim report issued by federal officials this week excoriated pharmacy sales middlemen over business practices that have grossly inflated drug prices — and made it harder for long-term care pharmacists...
Grand Health Care settles with DOJ for $21M in rehab upcoding case
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 10, 2024
The Grand Health Care System and its 12 affiliated skilled nursing facilities will pay more than $21.3 million to settle allegations of therapy upcoding that involved a quota system for keeping billing...
Standing up for PALTC specialists
By
Michael Wasserman
Rajeev Kumar, M.D.
Jul 10, 2024
Nursing home medical directors, by federal regulation (Section 483.70 (h)), are responsible for coordinating the medical care of highly complex individuals who reside in these facilities. The recent...
After ‘offensive’ attack, Parkinson and Sloan push lawmakers for solutions, not shame
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 09, 2024
The two largest organizations representing US nursing homes this week fired back against a pair of influential lawmakers who have tried to paint industry efforts to stop a minimum staffing rule as motivated...
Nursing Staff at continuing care retirement communities continue to enjoy significant pay increases and sign-on bonuses in 2024 — though a slight cooling of pay increases has carried over from 2023,...
LTSS increasingly expensive, with fewer guardrails and more demand to come: new KFF analysis
By
Josh Henreckson
Jul 09, 2024
Increasingly expensive long-term services and supports should prompt serious questions about how to meet the needs of the aging US population, say the authors of a new KFF report on senior care trends.
Feds’ latest regulatory wish list hits skilled nursing but could face new obstacles
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 08, 2024
The Department of Health and Human Services is making plans to expand reporting requirements for nursing homes in the event of crimes against residents. The agency also aims to propose a long-awaited update...