SNF rates should remain unchanged in 2010, MedPAC says
Jan 12, 2009
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) last week recommended a freeze on reimbursements for skilled nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation centers for fiscal year 2010.
Medicare, Medicaid short physicians, hospitals nearly $90 billion annually
Dec 10, 2008
Medicare and Medicaid underpay physicians and hospitals by roughly $88.8 billion every year, which means privately insured patients are picking up the tab, according to a new study.
Study: 1 in 5 nurses use electronic health records, quality linked to usage
Dec 08, 2008
A total of 20% of nurses–or 1 in 5–use electronic health records. Facilities where use of EHR by nurses is prevalent are more likely to report nursing excellence and improved quality of care,...
Nursing homes lead healthcare field in use of electronic health records
Nov 10, 2008
A new report shows that, when it comes to adopting electronic health records, nursing homes around the country are leading the charge in healthcare.
Washington approves assisted-suicide law
Nov 06, 2008
Voters in the state of Washington this week approved a ballot-initiative that legalizes medically assisted suicide. It is now the second state in the union, along with neighboring Oregon, to approve such...
Research: End-of-life discussions improve quality of life for families, patients
Oct 09, 2008
Discussions about end-of-life issues between patients, doctors and families improve the quality of life for the terminally ill. They also have “cascading benefits” for both patients and their...
Patients’ wishes may be overlooked in end-of-life decisions
Sep 02, 2008
Families and physicians are often left to make end-of-life decisions for patients, and these choices are more complicated than many realize, according to a new study.
Despite warnings, antipsychotics for elderly on the rise
Aug 27, 2008
Physicians have not sufficiently heeded warnings about prescribing antipsychotic drugs for seniors with dementia, Canadian researchers suggest.
Fall-prevention awareness can cut ER visits, save money, state finds
Aug 12, 2008
Fall-prevention education can help reduce the number of emergency-department visits and healthcare costs in Connecticut, a state-funded report found.
Most Americans favor overhaul of healthcare system
Aug 08, 2008
Roughly 82% of Americans believe in significantly changing the U.S. healthcare system, citing experiences with disorganized doctors, expensive insurance and unnecessary treatments as reasons for change,...