Expanded surveys will focus on staffing, MDS coding
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 04, 2014
Special surveys to determine Minimum Data Set coding accuracy and nursing home staffing levels will occur nationwide in 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in an Oct. 31 memorandum....
Resident assessments and care planning quality are threatened by nurses’ unrelated duties, survey...
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 30, 2014
Filling out a comprehensive assessment for a nursing home resident takes five hours on average, and nurses’ workloads can make it difficult to carve out this time, according to survey results from...
Nursing home culture change is linked to a decrease in survey deficiencies, research shows
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 13, 2014
Nursing homes that initiated culture change between 2004 and 2009 saw a noteworthy decrease in health-related survey deficiency citations, according to recently published research. The investigators describe...
Mobile devices help reduce medication errors in nursing homes, doctors say
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 10, 2013
Using mobile devices as part of medication management reduces the number of adverse drug events in nursing homes, according to a survey of physicians.
CMS: Nursing homes may not establish blanket no-CPR policies
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2013
Nursing homes will face survey citations for facility-wide policies that prohibit cardiopulmonary resuscitation for residents, according to a recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services memorandum.
Five-Star Ratings do not predict quality of life for residents without dementia, survey finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 20, 2013
The government’s Five-Star system for rating nursing homes does not reflect the quality of life experienced by residents with preserved cognition, according to newly published research.
Median cost of a private nursing home room now exceeds $87,000 a year, Genworth survey finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 03, 2014
The median annual cost of a private nursing home room in the United States has increased to $87,600, according to the latest annual survey from insurance company Genworth. This represents a 4.4% increase...
Senior services agencies reach critical moment in government shutdown, survey finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 15, 2013
Organizations that provide transportation, meals and other services to seniors who need home care are facing imminent service reductions due to the federal government shutdown, and this could mean increased...
Nursing home agrees to $225,000 settlement over charges of asbestos exposure
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 12, 2014
A California nursing home has agreed to a $225,000 settlement over charges that it did not handle asbestos properly during a renovation, according to local news sources.
Nursing home residents appreciate caring staff, but workers could do a better job honoring resident wishes,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 10, 2014
Caring staff members who form close relationships with residents are a strength of long-term care facilities, but workers could more consistently honor residents’ choices and privacy, according to...