Regulatory Compliance

Federal court upholds wage laws for home health workers

The law guarantees overtime and minimum wage protection to home healthcare workers. Read More »

PharMerica, Amgen reach settlement

Kentucky and 25 other states accuse PharMerica Corp.of accepting payoffs to switch nursing home residents to Amgen product for anemia. Read More »

WVa now requires state, national criminal background checks for LTC workers

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources now requires fingerprint-based state and national criminal background checks for long-term care workers. Read More »

Nursing home sues state attorney general

One of seven New Mexico nursing homes being sued by state Attorney General Hector Balderas has struck back with a lawsuit of its own. Read More »

CMS extends execution delay for ‘two-midnight’ rule again

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has pushed the deadline for the "two-midnight" rule to the end of the year. Read More »

MA lawmakers propose new rules for closing, selling nursing homes

Massachusetts lawmakers are asking that the process companies go through to sell or close a nursing home become more public.  Read More »

Senator questions integrity of five-star nursing home rating system

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) has called for an investigation of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid's five-star nursing home compare tool.  Read More »

MDS assessment accuracy and quality outcome success

MDS coordinators are charged with the responsibility to ensure all of the data accurately reflects all residents and the care that is being provided to them. Read More »

Arizona law requires disclosure from in-home care agencies

One of the fastest-growing retirement states in the country, Arizona senior advocates applaud the state legislature for taking this first step toward transparency. Read More »

OSHA guide: Transgender restroom access

If you have transgender employees—even if you don’t—it’s important for employers to be aware of the requirements in providing restroom access based on gender indentification. Read More »

Assisted living owner turns off the air conditioning

An assisted living owner looking to sell the building puts the heat on residents to vacate the premises by turning off their air conditioning. Read More »

CMS, Rhode Island partner on new dual-eligible care model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is partnering with the state of Rhode Island to try out a new model for providing person-centered care to Medicare/Medicaid dual enrollees. Read More »

CMS: National health spending projections juggle expanded coverage, high-cost drugs

Overall national healthcare spending is expected to rise by modest amounts during the decade from 2014-2024, notes a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services budget report released today. Read More »

CMS pilots program for joint hospice/curative care

A new pilot program model from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will test whether hospice care and curative care should be offered simultaneously, instead of asking terminally-ill patients to choose one or the other. Read More »

CMS proposes massive new rules for LTC industry

The 400-page proposal includes new rules to reduce hospitalizations, infections and resident risks. But, opponents question the financial impacts: Feds estimate the cost would be nearly $90,000 per facility over two years.  Read More »

OSHA inspections target tuberculosis in healthcare settings

A new directive is aimed to further reduce the risk of tuberculosis (TB) to employees working in healthcare settings, including new rules for screening and bloodwork. Read More »

Proposed CMS rule would require health information exchange for LTC

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants all nursing homes and long-term care facilities to participate in health information exchange. Read More »

CMS proposes physician reimbursement for end-of-life discussions

In a milestone addition to its physician payment schedule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes to add a new billing code to allow for the reimbursement of advanced care planning services. Read More »

CMS won’t deny ICD-10 claims for a year

In response to requests from the provider community, CMS is releasing additional guidance that will aim to allow for flexibility in the claims auditing and quality reporting process Read More »

New overtime rules impact long-term care

Now is the time for long-term care administrators to reassess the exempt/non-exempt status of your employees before 2016 arrives. Read More »

OSHA inspections add focus on nursing risks

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration expanded its inspections to include musculoskeletal injuries related to patient or resident handling and four other risks to nurses. 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 »

BREAKING NEWS: SCOTUS votes to uphold subsidies in King v Burwell

The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 today to uphold marketplace subsidies in the landmark case King v Burwell. 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 »

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 »

Caremerge launches chronic care coordination solution

Bridging the gap between physicians, residents and families, Caremerge launches a chronic care management solution that takes care coordination reimbursement into account. 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 »

Plan for a tornado emergency

No strangers to severe storms, two long-term care execs at an Oklahoma CCRC pose four questions about preparing for this natural disaster. Read More »

GAO suggests ways to fight Medicaid fraud, improve Medicare audits

CMS plans to issue guidance for screening deceased Medicaid beneficiaries, provide more-complete data for screening Medicaid providers and consider whether the performance of Medicare administrative contractors can be improved. Read More »