Administration

And the 2015 OPTIMA Award winner is…

So many excellent programs entered the competition for this year’s OPTIMA Award, but one program rose above the others. See who won! Read More »

Fire at Mexico nursing home kills 16, injures 5

A fire ripped through a nursing home in Mexicali, Mexico City, this week, killing 16 residents and injuring five others Read More »

ACHCA’s Grachek stepping down

After nine years of leadership in the long-term care industry, ACHCA President and CEO Marianna Grachek announces that she will be retiring next month. Read More »

Texas governor signs ‘three strikes’ bill to improve nursing home oversight

A measure to strengthen nursing home regulations in Texas was signed by Governor Greg Abbott this week. Read More »

Report: Nursing homes inflate staff numbers for better Nursing Home Compare ranking

A Center for Public Integrity report shows as many as 80 percent of nursing homes are inflating their staffing levels on Medicare.gov for higher rankings. Read More »

MatrixCare add EHR interfaces for therapy data

Therapy services documentation and billing just got easier as a leading electronic health record vendor adds interfaces for therapy data. Read More »

New Senior, Health Care REIT announce major acquisitions

In the last week, Health Care REIT and New Senior Investment Group announced acquisitions totaling more than a billion dollars.  Read More »

Getting ready for assessment data and the IMPACT Act

Workgroups responsible for implementing the standardization of documentation codes across care settings under the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) have been busy during the past year, and SNFs may have to be ready to report under the new assessment data as early as fall 2016, noted panel presenters at this week's Long-Term and Post-Acute Care Health IT Summit in Baltimore. Read More »

What is your facility’s bullying policy?

What happens when one of your residents is the victim of bullying? Do you have a policy in place to address it? Read More »

Feds arrest several doctors, nurses in largest Medicare fraud bust ever

More than 240 people were arrested in 17 cities for allegedly billing Medicare for $712 million for care that was never given.  Read More »

LTC professionals take their message to Congress

UPDATED June 23, 2015: Congressional actions got a few steps closer to repealing two key Obamacare provisions--the medical device tax and the Independent Payment Advisory Board. Read More »

My inspirational item was a casualty

It’s just good “housekeeping” to go purge one’s living area of unwanted, unused, broken, dated or unimportant possessions. Sometimes during downsizing, however, things can go awry. Read More »

Practicing emergency color codes

Code Blue, Code Gray, Code Red, Code White... Do your clinical and administrative staff practice color-code emergencies? Read More »

Elder abuse shelter opens in Detroit

Elder abuse is an often underreported crime because seniors are reluctant to act or don’t know how to seek assistance. Read More »

Providing an open environment for honest feedback

From customer satisfaction surveys to resident councils and hallway suggestion boxes—how welcoming is your process for receiving feedback on the good, the bad and the ugly? Read More »

Miami SNF settles $17M fraudulent referrals case

Hebrew Homes Health Network was accused of improperly paying physicians for referrals of Medicare patients that need skilled nursing care. Read More »

Hill-Rom acquires Welch Allyn in $2B deal

Two key vendors in long-term care equipment and clinical monitoring systems will soon be one company. Read More »

California nursing home chain gets government regulations smackdown

California's largest nursing home chain has been under fire for years. Read More »

CMS lays ground rules for provider screening, fingerprinting for fraud risk

By March 2016, states with Medicaid providers must be ranked has having a "high," moderate," or "limited" risk of defrauding the program. Read More »

Genesis HealthCare acquires 24 skilled nursing facilities in $240M deal

Genesis signed the $240 million agreement with Revera on June 15. Read More »

Accountable accounting

Even the little bills mean a lot. The right accounts payable technology can help LTC communities keep their business partners happy and avoid costly late fees. Read More »

New Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Reporting Guidelines

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued various documents related to the electronic submission of staffing and census information in an effort to promote greater accountability for long-term care facilities. Referred to as “Payroll Data Submission – Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Reporting,” this new reporting structure will be mandatory effective July 1, 2016.Read on to learn about the goals of PBJ, what these additional requirements mean to providers, how to approach and implement the changes, and how to address the challenges that must be considered.Click here to read more Read More »

HealthSouth expands PAC presence with Reliant Hospital Partners acquisition

On June 11, the post-acute services provider announced plans to buy the operations arm of Reliant Hospital Partners for $730 million. Read More »

Ducking disasters

Every facility has a disaster plan. But are you preparing your staffers to keep the "little stuff" from becoming big crises? Read More »

Annuity nursing home doublers make sense

The increasing costs of long-term care challenge the affordability of residential care. A nursing home rider can help cover those costs. Read More »

Study: 2.5 million more long-term care employees needed by 2030

A new UC San Francisco study predicts 2.5 million more long-term care workers will be needed by 2030 to keep up with the rapidly aging population. Read More »

The rainbow connection: Making your facility LGBT friendly

For some LGBT seniors, assimilation—not exclusion—in LTC is the goal. Tips to make diversity a positive influence in your community. Read More »

California proposes tighter inspections for assisted living

California has one of the least aggressive inspection cycles in the country for assisted living communities—but maybe not for much longer. Read More »

Sexual Intimacy and Dementia: Fulfilling a Basic Need or Resident Abuse?

Can a resident with dementia provide true consent for sexual intimacy? Can an intimate relationship, even between spouses, ever be considered abuse? Answer: It depends. Read More »

The dish on dining

Surveys repeatedly cite food as a major factor in customer satisfaction. If residents and their families aren’t happy with meals, they tend to find fault in other service areas. Read More »