The principals at three: living architecture maintain that one can incorporate hospitality design features at any phase of a senior living community’s life—from early planning through current status to future expansions. Their critical takeaway: One can never afford a dull community. Read More »
Staff overload could cost your facility plenty, as one research center draws a direct relationship between burnout and healthcare-associated infections. Read More »
With increased government oversight and efforts to find inappropriately paid Medicare funds, facility staff may end a Medicare stay prematurely for fear of being audited and having their claim denied. What is the key to balancing provision of skilled care and avoiding auditor take-backs? Read More »
As states debate whether to adopt Medicaid expansion or not, the latest public health study from Harvard suggests expansion might be a healthy idea. Read More »
CMS will increase prospective payment system pay rates to skilled nursing facilities by almost 2 percent, based on its yearly rate adjustment report. Read More »
HHS has announced a public-private collaboration aimed at stemming healthcare fraud. Tougher sentences, suspended payments and enhanced screenings are tools now available for enforcement through the Affordable Care Act. Read More »
I have become accustomed to half a room and little space. But, it is difficult for me to get used to my bed looking drab. I was brought up to do hospital corners and to drape the bedspread just so. Read More »
The Department of Health & Human Services has released the LTC chapter in the national plan to reduce infections: C. difficile and urinary tract infections are the first of many high-priority targets. Read More »
A low-premium, high-deductible health plan used to be viewed as "the single consumer's plan." Now, high-deductible plans are a favorite of employers, especially for large-group coverage. Read More »
Many changes are ahead for employers concerning employee health insurance benefits. Some of the rules will begin as early as this fall. Nancy Taylor, co-chair, Health & FDA Business Practice at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLC, discusses the key strategies employers should consider in preparing for compliance. Read More »
A new training course from AHRQ can give caregivers fresh insights into the signs that a resident's condition is changing, alerting staff to monitor the resident more closely. Read More »
How to increase efficiency of visits without adding hours and miles? Check up on the patients without even starting the car. One visiting nurse organization takes the plunge into robotic telemedicine. Read More »
At Long-Term Living’s 2012 Environments for Aging conference in Orlando, two college sophomores were presented with first prize in the third annual AIAS/SAGE Student Design Competition, a program that challenged architecture students to push the envelope in housing designed for the elderly. Read More »
Kentucky city builds an aging cluster in its downtown with plans to expand services and products to the elderly--and bring jobs to the region. Read More »
As the boomers deal with aging parents, while they are aging themselves, dying with dignity has become a concern. Do your residents and their families have advance directives? If not, do they know what to do to create these documents? Read More »
LTC providers are investing more heavily in short-term rehab as a way to recoup shrinking Medicare reimbursements while taking on higher-acuity cases in order to keep residents out of the hospital. Meanwhile, they are giving wellness amenities and programs higher priority as families evaluate facilities with a more discerning eye. Read More »
Many of our LTC residents are eating meals while sitting in their wheelchairs. How much do we "institutionalize" our residents by passively convincing them that sitting in the wheelchair in the dining room "is easier for everyone"? Time after time, we realize that our processes and philosophies have to be revisited and reiterated constantly. Read More »
A somber day in Kansas City, Mo.: A wandering senior is found dead and an entire nursing home is evacuated at two senior living facilities. Read More »
Three-week-old strike by unionized Connecticut nursing home workers continues. SNF operator alleges sabotage and vandalism by strikers. Company attorneys' seek criminal investigation by state authorities. Read More »
Last Friday was this facility's second Summer Fun Day. A cookout was held at a local park promising lots of food, pop and even a DJ. Since I am not much of a picnic person, and had much to do, I decided to remain behind. Read More »
The key to your future data-sharing compliance may already be within your own daily data. Mining that data can reveal a lot about the organization's strengths--and its weaknesses. Read More »
U.S. hospitals are making little progress in reducing patient readmissions despite government initiatives and looming financial penalties, according to Medicare data released Thursday, reports Kaiser Health News. Read More »
CMS offers $275 million to 25 more states the funding to design and build new payment models that bring multiple payers together and improve the care delivery system. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ controversial Five-Star Quality Rating System, which rates the nation’s nursing homes, is in the news this week with CMS unveiling its revamped Nursing Home Compare website. Since its introduction in 2008, the rating system has been maligned by LTC providers for its perceived faults and omissions. Read More »
Whether you enjoy playing sports or just watching, people (including those in your communities) and others around the globe will be tuning in to cheer on their favorite country and/or athletes. Opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics begin on Friday, July 27, in London. Read More »
The new version of CMS' Nursing Home Compare website now includes data on readmission rates, nursing home inspections and antipsychotic drug use. Read More »
A team approach and solid planning upfront are crucial to a successful EHR implementation, according to new report from LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST). Read More »
