Study finds ‘rare’ instance when age helps wounds heal
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 02, 2018
A compound whose presence in the bloodstream decreases with age likely helps older people develop fewer scars. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine found that stromal...
New Medicare Advantage rules boost payments to plans, promise drug savings
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 04, 2018
Medicare Advantage plans will get 3.4% more in federal payments next year, while beneficiaries can hope for drug prices to decline.
Splitting up over a shot?
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 01, 2021
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about trust lately, especially after reading a real pick-me-up in the Washington Post about the pandemic and splintering of societies.
Bring in religious leaders to increase nursing home accountability, experts urge CMS
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 14, 2022
A group of health quality experts is asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to give faith-based and other community organizations a formal role in individual nursing homes’ improvement efforts.
Carp and camaraderie: Fishing partnership reels in new friends
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 19, 2019
Three years into a program that pairs local sportsmen with a Pennsylvania nursing home, residents and staff have fallen hook, line and sinker for the carp and the camaraderie. When the fishermen first...
AI-shortened nursing home stays drive potential class action suit against insurer
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 16, 2023
The nation’s largest insurer is illegally using programs driven by artificial intelligence to override the decisions of medical professionals and wrongfully force seniors from nursing homes, a potential...
A vaccine pause and an impending crack
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 14, 2021
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about trust over the last week or so, especially after reading a real pick-me-up in the Washington Post about how the pandemic will lead to the splintering of societies....
With $1B to invest, Ensign Group sets sights on new states
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 27, 2023
The Ensign Group is sitting on more than $1 billion in reserves, with company officials saying Thursday they are eager to continue on a growth trajectory fueled by leadership availability and geographic...
Stuck in the middle, LTC pharmacies could be dangerously squeezed by drug price negotiations
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 01, 2023
Any lower drug prices that result from White House efforts to negotiate on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries may lead to short-term gains for nursing homes, but there also could be a steep price to pay...
LTC pharmacies forced to borrow to buy patient drugs, close as drug middlemen tighten grip on sector
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 08, 2024
Nursing home patient access to prescription drugs is being squeezed as several market and regulatory factors have combined to increase the power pharmacy benefit managers have over long-term care pharmacies,...