COVID mortality for assisted living residents merits attention, new data suggest
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 15, 2021
Assisted living residents had 17% higher rates of overall mortality in 2020 compared with the year prior, CMS data show. That’s in line with the experience of nursing homes, and is likely an underestimate,...
Valid dementia verdict? Nursing home and hospital diagnoses now better aligned, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
May 03, 2021
Medicare’s dementia claim measures appear to have become more sensitive in recent years, agreeing more closely with hospital-based measures overall and for certain populations than in the past, investigators...
National long-stay resident study pinpoints COVID risk factors
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 01, 2021
The 15,000-facility study is the first of its kind, researchers say. Infections were found to be associated with geographic area and specific facility, whereas resident characteristics played a large role...
Only a quarter of rural seniors who need post-acute care transition to SNFs
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 25, 2021
Rural Medicare beneficiaries are less likely than their urban peers to receive care from either a nursing home or home health agency following acute hospitalization, conclude investigators with the University...
Ten-year stroke mortality higher among Black Medicare recipients
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 22, 2021
A notable disparity in long-term death rates after ischemic stroke suggests that clinicians may need to take a closer look at the post-stroke recovery period — especially during the first year, researchers...
Depression hits harder in stroke than heart attack, especially in women
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 12, 2021
Stroke patients have 50% greater odds of becoming depressed than people who have had a heart attack — especially if they are women, two new studies find.
Routine vaccinations among older Medicare beneficiaries have not yet recovered from their pandemic slump. Stepped-up efforts to resolve the disruption are necessary, and may give clinicians a chance to...
Falls and chronic conditions beget more falls, Medicare survey data show
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 12, 2021
Older people who report at least one fall are twice as likely to have another fall in the same year, and chronic conditions raise the risk even higher, a new review shows.
Financial ‘symptoms’ of dementia seen up to 6 years before diagnosis
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 01, 2020
Missed bill payments and lowered credit scores may be evident years before a dementia diagnosis, a new study shows. Earlier diagnosis could help protect patients’ financial well-being, investigators...
CMS: A quarter of Medicare recipients skipped needed healthcare during pandemic
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 21, 2020
Fully 21% of beneficiaries have forgone needed healthcare for something other than COVID-19. Nearly half say they did not want to risk being at a medical facility, according to CMS.