Q&A: Maryland SNF joins ‘transformative’ palliative care study
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 07, 2022
Meadow Park in Catonsville, MD, will receive a $15,000 grant and gain the support of study partners in a palliative care program that it says will help change how the long-term care industry provides advanced...
Call for tougher SNF licensing rules loses support
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 23, 2022
A measure aimed at strengthening California’s licensing requirements for potential buyers of skilled nursing facilities has begun to lose steam among some lawmakers following changes that reshaped the...
Court green-lights charges that a healthcare network underused observation stays
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 23, 2014
A whistleblower can continue to pursue charges that a Nevada healthcare network routinely admitted people as hospital inpatients when they should have been placed in observation status, a federal appeals...
Good performance on SNF quality measures does not prevent deaths or readmissions, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 15, 2014
A skilled nursing facility that scores well on quality measures is not necessarily reducing residents’ risk of death or readmission within 30 days of arriving from a hospital, according to findings...
CMS updates coding instructions for hospice site of service, principal diagnosis
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 02, 2014
A new Medicare hospice manual update includes instructions for which principal diagnosis codes are acceptable, and clarifies which codes should be used for services in a skilled versus non-skilled nursing...
Empowering nurse practitioners could reduce hospitalizations from SNFs, study finds
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 29, 2014
Granting more authority to nurse practitioners is associated with reduced hospitalization of skilled nursing facility residents, according to recently published findings.
CMS: Many skilled nursing providers have poor Medicare certification and recertification practices
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 22, 2014
The rate of improper Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities has increased largely due to issues with certification and recertification statements, according to a recently released government memorandum....
The benefits of a successful discharge plan
By
Susan LaGrange
Jun 20, 2014
It is critical to have a solid system for discharge planning that begins even before the resident is admitted to the facility. Individualized, resident-centered discharge planning will provide a solid...
White House proposes ‘accelerated’ skilled nursing facility payment cuts
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 05, 2014
The White House’s proposed 2015 budget includes sharp cuts to skilled nursing facility reimbursements, which has drawn strong criticism from the nation’s largest long-term care provider group....
Hospitalized seniors likely to need family help, study finds
By
Elizabeth Newman
Mar 01, 2014
Nearly half of hospitalized seniors facing a major treatment decision require help from family members, a new study finds.