In preparation for the shift to value-based reimbursement, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has indicated that the new Minimum Data Set (MDS) Focused Survey will be expanding nationwide this year in effort to incent providers to focus more on individualized care planning and person-centered care.Read on to learn what areas will be under the most scrutiny in the new survey process, what you can do to prepare, and some target areas for deficiencies.Click here to read more Read More »
Two California nursing homes persistently overmedicated residents, causing infection, sepsis, malnutrition, dehydration, falls, fractures, pressure ulcers and, for some residents, premature death, the federal government maintains. Read More »
CEOs from five senior living providers gazed into their crystal balls and shared five predictions about the future of the industry during the annual meeting of the Assisted Living Federation of America. Read More »
The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) recognized five assisted living community staff members who help improve the lives of residents in big and little ways. The awards were just some of the ones given during ALFA’s annual meeting. Read More »
The Assisted Living Federation of America has launched a new initiative, Senior Living 2025: A Roadmap, to establish a united voice around four major issues facing the industry. Read More »
The thought of managed care worries many providers. We face uncertainty in how we’ll be paid, and feel anxious we’re not managing operations well enough to capture all of the revenue for the care we’re providing. In this piece, we’ll explore the basics that will ensure you’ve built the right foundation to survive managed care, while positioning your organization as a preferred provider.Read on to learn how to maximize your efficiency and reimbursement in managed care.Click here to read more. Read More »
Three briefs from the Altarum Institute Center for Sustainable Health Spending provide insights into prices, spending and employment in nursing homes and residential care facilities, home health and other parts of the healthcare sector. Read More »
Understand what the changes to the Five-Star Rating System mean to your organization.Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has changed the way it calculates the Five-Star Rating System for all facilities serving Medicare and Medicaid residents across the US. Two new Quality Measures were added for psychotropic treatment, the thresholds for Quality Measure scoring were changed to raise performance expectations, and the staffing algorithm was adjusted to award four stars only to those who achieved a score of four in either or both of the RN and Overall Staffing measures.Read this article to gain perspective on the specific changes that have been made to the rating scale, the effect it is having on the long-term care industry, how it is impacting payment models, and how to address referral partners about the change.Click here to read more. Read More »
Documentation was the biggest challenge facing skilled nursing centers and assisted living communities during 2014, according to those responding to a year-long survey by Harmony Healthcare International. Read More »
During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, two-thirds of the deaths were people over the age of 65. Learning how to successfully plan for disaster or catastrophic events shouldn't be done in hindsight – a solid, effective plan should be put in place to protect both your residents and your data in order to continue providing care.Protecting the vital information needed to take care of residents is often overlooked as a critical element of a disaster plan, and it’s important to think about how that information will be accessed during an emergency situation. It could be a matter of life and death.Read on to learn some best practices your long-term care facility can use to prepare for disaster.Click here to read more. Read More »
Employers of registered nurses have another reason to look at their pay structures to ensure that they don’t contain inequities, say the authors of a new study. Read More »
After years of failed efforts, a congressional bill proposing a permanent solution to the "doc-fix" problem is gaining the support of one of long-term care's largest and most powerful organizations. Read More »
In this final installment of the three-part series, we will look at the future of health information technology and its impact on senior care.It is estimated that one-fifth of the U.S. population will be 65 or older by 2030, and new residents most often present with a higher level of acuity than they did ten years ago, requiring different experts on the care team to manage the needs of one person. In this capacity, technology becomes a critical ingredient for success.Read on to gain an understanding of where to start in the technology implementation process, what questions you should be asking, and just how supportive technology is in the quality and operational objectives of senior care.Click here to read more. Read More »
Alzheimer’s and memory care will be the areas of senior care that will experience the most growth in 2015, according to senior housing and services leaders responding to a new survey. Read More »
A new report finds that usage of and expenses related to non-recurring healthcare services increase with age, and nursing homes are a chief factor. Read More »
Find out who’s getting the best raises and what the best strategies are to reduce turnover based on the latest national assisted living data from the Hospital and Healthcare Compensation Service. Read More »
Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems have improved the quality of care and the efficiency of caregivers in long-term living facilities across the nation. With only a 50% adoption rate, the long-term care industry continues to lag behind the adoption rates of other care industries.In this second installment, we’ll examine some of the widely accepted best practices for adoption of today’s electronic health record systems (EHR). Read more to learn about the benefits of EHR adoption in a long-term care facility, the top reasons for adoption, and where to start in the process.Click here to read more. Read More »
Long-term care insurance companies nationwide paid a record $7.85 billion in claim benefits to 250,000 people in 2014, according to a recent report. Read More »
Spending on nursing home care and home healthcare combined was $249 billion, or eight percent of total health spending, in December 2014, according to a February spending brief released by Altarum Institute. Read More »
New research reveals the most expensive states for care in nursing homes and assisted living communities and from home healthcare providers. Read More »
The federal government has produced a free guide to help senior living operators and staff members combat the financial exploitation of residents, which has implications beyond those you might expect. Read More »
When we think back to what the long-term care industry was like 10 years ago, technological innovation tends not to be top of mind. And yet, suddenly we’re surrounded by it. Adopting new technology, like any new idea, can be hard. The challenge for providers will not just be rolling it out, but also harnessing the power to do what you need to do. In this first article of a three-part series, we’ll look at factors in long-term care that have prompted our use of technology, specifically Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and begin to consider where we are headed as the technology we use continues to evolve.Click here to read more. Read More »
Brookdale Senior Living shareholder Sandell Asset Management is requesting that the company’s board alter its real estate portfolio and board, and Brookdale has issued a response. Read More »
When is a deal too good to be legal? Receiving discounts from vendors/suppliers may, in some instances, be considered "kickbacks" if you're not careful. Read More »
In the first installment of a multi-part series examining challenges in the new year, Long-Term Living explores why some government initiatives under testing or development give pause to many providers serving older adults. Read More »
Spending on care in nursing facilities and continuing care retirement communities totaled $155.8 billion in 2013, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This amount represents growth of 2.4 percent, compared with 2.0 percent in 2012. Read More »
