When numbers are drawn out by healthcare auditors and red flags wave
By
Elizabeth Newman
Feb 20, 2014
The takeaway in a story last week about extrapolation and Medicare overpayments is, natch, how meticulous providers should be when filing claims — and to understand how individual claim problems can...
Docs might get a raise, and long-term care might get a bill
By
John O'Connor
Feb 10, 2014
Major League teams don’t celebrate World Series victories midway through the season. But politicians do the equivalent all the time. Consider a revised Medicare payment plan that was joyously unveiled...
The safety net for seniors
By
James Lomastro
Jan 02, 2014
Healthcare reform, especially the expansion of Medicaid, will bring into focus the fragility of the safety net. This is a system that is for vulnerable seniors, but which has not been adequately financed.
I pay dead people
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Nov 12, 2013
On Oct. 31 (an ironic coincidence?) a report from the Office of inspector General frighteningly said Medicare paid some $23 million in benefits for more than 17,000 dead people in 2011. And my husband...
When it comes to paying for long-term care, public and private options can both fail
By
John O'Connor
Oct 07, 2013
What happened last week in Washington was not exactly highlight reel material. That is, unless you want to showcase public sector dysfunction.
Nine tips for becoming a home or alternate site infusion pharmacy
By
Rob Cannon
Sep 25, 2013
As healthcare reform is implemented, a heightened emphasis on cost-containment is putting pressure on all healthcare providers. As hospitals determine how to reduce readmission rates and shift care to...
Not angry about the LTC Commission’s report? You should be
By
John O'Connor
Sep 20, 2013
It’s hard to comment on the Commission on Long-Term Care’s just-submitted report without getting hacked off. Really, really hacked off. To call it a fool’s errand would be to insult misdirected...
Taking care of Medicare and Medicaid’s dual-eligibles: A job for Super- , er, Ombudsman
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 16, 2013
Giving long-term care stakeholders a reason to cheer, California recently requested a federal waiver to implement Cal MedConnect, a demonstration project meant to improve care coordination for people who...
When preparing for the future, don’t forget about LTC costs
By
Romeo Raabe
Jun 07, 2013
Many recent articles are warning about the future healthcare costs that retirees face, despite having Medicare for their primary health insurance. Medicare does leave 20% of many medical related costs...
There’s no place like the county nursing home
By
Elizabeth Newman
May 16, 2013
Whether you are an employee, resident, citizen or member of another group, you can learn from the lessons I’ve learned while exhaustively investigating a story about running and saving county nursing...