Price increases, not a larger senior population, are responsible for exploding healthcare costs: analysts
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 13, 2013
Escalating healthcare costs in the United States cannot be pinned on an aging population demanding more services for chronic conditions. Instead, higher costs are primarily the result of price increases,...
Medical directors push for LTC-specific physician training, quality measures
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 03, 2013
Nursing facility medical directors should receive more training specific to long-term care, according to the American Medical Directors Association.
Day in the Life: Dancing with a star
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 01, 2013
Miller’s Merry Manor has a name that is fitting for the holiday season. But the 62-bed facility in New Carlisle, IN, seeks a merry atmosphere throughout the year. Its dance activities, and one special...
New Alzheimer’s blood test could detect the disease 10 years before clinical diagnosis, researchers...
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 18, 2014
The latest Alzheimer’s blood test is the most promising yet, as it appears to accurately predict the disease 10 years before a clinical diagnosis could be made, researchers announced Sunday.
Proposed legislation from the House of Representatives would decrease skilled nursing facilities’ Medicare rate updates, introduce new post-acute payment systems and institute readmissions penalties...
Support for Medicare-style, government long-term care insurance program surges, large AP-University of...
By
Tim Mullaney
May 20, 2014
The idea of a government-run long-term care insurance program similar to Medicare has become much more popular in the last year, according to the findings of a large nationwide survey. Independent research...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently finalized 2014 Medicare rate updates for hospices and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and also laid out quality metrics. Hospices will receive...
Focus on physician groups, managed care to prepare for the future, say long-term care experts
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 11, 2013
Skilled nursing providers should build partnerships with physician groups and hospitals but need to make sure to stay abreast of legal and regulatory frameworks, according to experts who spoke at McKnight’s...
Senate bill would revamp 2-midnight rule for hospital inpatient admissions
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 07, 2014
Providers’ complaints about the so-called “two-midnight rule” for determining hospital inpatient status have led to a new bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate, which would create less rigid...
ACA put the brakes on spending across the care continuum, White House economists say
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 21, 2013
Spending on healthcare, including skilled nursing care, has grown at a historically slow rate in the last three years, according to a new analysis from the Council of Economic Advisers. The group, which...