Providers: Staffing rule a CMS ‘fairy tale’ that will ‘exacerbate’ nursing home access issue
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 23, 2024
Despite minor concessions in a staffing mandate issued Monday, many nursing home providers were shell-shocked by what they saw as federal regulators’ intractable stance on minimums at a time when nearly...
Medicare audits ‘ramping up’ with isolation coding in the crosshairs
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 22, 2024
Auditors are paying special attention to isolation and quarantine coding amid already heightened Medicare nursing home audits that are expected to increase in coming months, experts warn.
Coverage for Medicare’s e-visits still available, though few patients use service
By
Kristen Fischer
Apr 15, 2024
Once the pandemic was in full swing, Medicare started paying doctors and other healthcare providers for e-visits (those that required at least five minutes of medical decision-making). The e-visits are...
Nursing home fights for right to end temporary bonuses, avoid $369K payout
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 15, 2024
Can a nursing home end an emergency bonus program for unionized workers without negotiating after a contract has expired?
Balancing act: Dementia care needs to change for safe integration
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 12, 2024
The quality of life tradeoffs incurred due to tight safety protocols and isolation of nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic demand more research and policy changes.
Why CMS is shifting its infection control focus to sepsis
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 11, 2024
BALTIMORE — Quality experts at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be taking a closer look at sepsis rates in nursing homes while continuing broader efforts to improve infection control,...
Half a century and 4 million meals haven’t slowed down this long-term care culinary king
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 10, 2024
For almost as long as there has been a Buena Vista Care Center in Santa Barbara, CA, Miguel Pulido has been there — making sure the residents of the nursing home are fed and happy.
Poor working conditions are a top reason nurses leave healthcare, study finds
By
Kristen Fischer
Apr 10, 2024
Unpleasant working conditions are a top reason nurses walk away from their jobs at long-term care facilities and hospitals, and bid adieu to healthcare, according to a new report.
Ombudsman demands audit of agency that regulates state’s nursing homes
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 08, 2024
A report from the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman in Oregon has called for an independent audit of the state’s Department of Human Services, arguing that the regulatory body missed multiple red...
Contact with young kids tied to risk of pneumonia in older adults
By
Kristen Fischer
Apr 04, 2024
It’s common for people over 60 to have pneumonia-causing bacteria, and contact with preschool and young children seems to be an important factor linked to the transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae...