Month: November 2013

Experian buys Passport Health

A national credit reporting company acquires a key healthcare insurance eligibility clearinghouse, further expanding its footprint in the healthcare IT arena.  Read More »

CMS clarifies ADL scoring process

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services emphasize the importance of following the “Rule of 3” sequence when coding activities of daily living, as noted in the recently updated RAI User's Manual. Read More »

New alliance dedicated to person-centered dementia care

As seniors become the dominant population in the American landscape, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are predicted to increase at an alarming rate. Read More »

EHR default values could lead to medication errors

Trading efficiency for safety can have dire consequences when ordering or administering medications, a study shows.  Read More »

Eroding the payer/provider divide

Payers, providers and care networks are making vast efforts to combine care delivery, coverage and costs—merging control over the once-siloed segments of healthcare business. Will the post-acute care sector be the golden ticket to success or the cost-laden component that drags the system down? Read More »

IRS increases tax deductions for LTC insurance

If you or those for whom you care are concerned about how to pay for long-term care, you may be interested to learn that the Internal Revenue Service has increased the tax deductions allowed for the purchase of long-term care insurance policies in 2014. Read More »

Mobile devices help hospice automate workflow

Catawba Regional Hospice's adoption of android-based devices allows nurses to see more patients.  Read More »

Dental, heart health linked in study

A new study provides another reason to promote brushing and flossing among residents. Read More »

Geriatric syndromes are not a part of normal aging

The aging process has various faces. Dr. Judah Ronch stresses the importance for long-term care executives to get to “know our elders.” Read More »

Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.2 billion to resolve off-label marketing and kickback allegations

In what the federal government maintains is one of the largest healthcare fraud settlements in U.S. history, Johnson & Johnson and subsidiaries will pay more than $2.2 billion for allegedly promoting three drugs for unapproved uses in the elderly and others as well as purportedly paying kickbacks to doctors and the country’s biggest long-term care pharmacy provider. Read More »

Minimizing workplace violence in LTC facilities

OSHA is taking a harder look at workplace violence in long-term care facilities. These tips can help you prepare your staff and shore up your documentation procedures. Read More »

Many e-Rx alerts are being ignored

Study reveals that healthcare providers override more than half of e-Rx alerts.  Read More »

Litigation on the rise for LTC industry

This society’s eagerness to seek legal action against perceived harm or injustice to their loved ones in long-term care gives plaintiffs’ lawyers a wide-open client base to pursue. Read More »

Hospitalization reduction is aim of nursing home resident study

A $13.4 million initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hopes to improve care and communication within nursing facilities and between nursing homes and acute care institutions so that problems can be caught and managed before it becomes necessary to transport residents to the hospital. Read More »

Getting weighed

Monitoring residents’ weights essential in providing quality care. At times, however, the process can present challenges to doing it accurately, comfortably and privately. Read More »

Injuries from falls lessened by exercise: study

Want to reduce injuries from falls in seniors? Encourage them to participate in balance-related exercise programs, a new study suggests. Read More »

Renewed partnership advances antimicrobial wound care solutions

Two companies combine efforts to advance antimicrobial wound dressings. Read More »

MRSA levels in SNFs may be higher than assumed

A new study of nursing home residents in California indicates that there's much more community-acquired MRSA in LTC settings than medical professionals first thought. Read More »

Don’t let time change wreak havoc on health

As the end of daylight saving time approaches in most parts of the United States, here are some tips to keep you—and residents—healthy and alert in the coming weeks. Read More »