Hospice to pay $3 million to settle Medicare fraud whistleblower case
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 07, 2013
A Florida-based hospice provider has agreed to pay $3 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging false Medicare claims, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Aging experts in Dallas, Washington broadcast the same message: Chronic disease is not inevitable with...
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 30, 2013
There was synergy between Dallas and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Prominent speakers at the LeadingAge conference in Dallas addressed what it means to age well and how people’s understanding of...
Senators call for OIG review of nursing home trust fund practices
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 23, 2013
Leaders in the U.S. Senate have called for a special review of how nursing homes handle residents’ money placed in trust funds. The chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Sen. Bill Nelson...
Bill would limit Medicare claim reviews for trusted providers
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 18, 2013
A bill in the House of Representatives aims to create a “trusted provider” status in the Medicare program, which would potentially streamline the reimbursement and claims review processes for...
Expanded meal deliveries could reduce nursing home admissions, but cost benefits vary by state, researchers...
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 09, 2013
Modest expansions of meal delivery programs could reduce the number of Medicaid beneficiaries in nursing homes, but such a plan would not be cost-effective in every state, according to newly published...
Study challenges basic assumptions about C. diff transmission
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 27, 2013
A new study contradicts widely held assumptions about how Clostridium difficile infection occurs, which may lead long-term care providers to step up control measures.
CMS releases new RAI Manual
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 26, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued the latest version of the Minimum Data Set 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument User’s Manual, which takes effect Oct. 1. Although CMS posted...
Government issues model HIPAA privacy notices for providers to give patients
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 17, 2013
Long-term care providers can now utilize three new models of Notice of Privacy Practices documents to maintain Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, two government agencies have...
AHCA announces legislative priorities and $1 million ad buy
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 11, 2013
The nation’s largest long-term care provider association will advocate for site-neutral payments and other policies in a concerted effort to prevent further reductions in reimbursement, the American...
Nursing homes will be subject to escrow for all civil monetary penalties, CMS announces
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 05, 2013
Nursing homes facing a civil monetary penalty due to any type of deficiency will be subject to escrow and entitled to request an independent informal dispute resolution process, according to a newly issued...