Threat of devastating ‘bad debt’ grows as nursing home billing offices flounder
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 18, 2023
Unheard of staffing shortages in nursing home billing offices are leading to billing lapses and major uncollectible or ‘bad’ debt amounts. A $4 million case in Connecticut is fueling observers’ concerns...
Inaccurate pressure injury reporting compromises CMS safety ratings: study
Aug 12, 2022
Nursing home pressure injuries are widely underreported, casting doubt on a key measure of resident safety used in federal facility ratings, University of Chicago researchers say.
Full vaccination ahead? New regulations, boosters complicate upcoming flu and COVID shots
By
John Hall
Aug 17, 2022
Nursing homes might again find themselves at ground zero of the COVID vaccine efficacy debate this fall, yet wiser for the wear from the early chaotic days of the epidemic.
Therapists can co-treat? Why yes, they can!
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Apr 19, 2012
Have you heard? Yes, it’s true. We can now provide therapy co-treatment with another discipline WITHOUT splitting our treatment time. But, not so fast …
Gawande: Good palliative care blocked by quality measures, lack of communication
By
Jun 24, 2016
The quality measures currently in place in skilled nursing facilities and hospice settings are too focused on safety and health to promote effective palliative care, physician Atul Gawande, M.D., MPH,...
Nursing home groups support ‘doc fix’ bill
By
Elizabeth Newman
Mar 24, 2015
Leaders of the nation’s two largest long-term care associations spoke favorably Monday about a bill that would improve Medicare physician pay rates while moderately restricting LTC pay. In fact,...
Only 25 percent of post-acute patients with Afib start anticoagulants: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 24, 2023
Rates of anticoagulation therapy were higher for patients whose main reason for acute-care admission was Afib, yet only 50% of those patients initiated use.
A claims game
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 01, 2008
Providers might not realize how much times have changed. It’s a buyer’s market when it comes to facility insurance policies
The Five-Star Quality Rating System’s impact on insurance premiums — and how to address them
By
Ben Newman
Feb 27, 2023
For nearly 15 years, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Five-Star Quality Rating System for long-term care facilities has been a single source of truth for multiple parties. Consumers...
Study shows pay cuts expected to cost jobs
Jan 03, 2012
OHIO — The state’s skilled nursing facilities have shed or plan to shed 2,800 jobs in the wake of recent Medicare and Medicaid cuts, new survey results show.