A new study shows that most boomers are ignorant about Medicare and its provisions including long-term care coverage, monthly premiums, co-pays and deductibles. Read More »
The proposed rule for Stage 2 of meaningful use was being readied for publication in the Federal Register after an electronic formatting snafu had delayed its formal publication. Read More »
A draft national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease presents action steps to accelerate research together with proposals for improving care and services. Read More »
As the fruits of this system are borne each winter to national attention, so too are its faults—to the providers who are affected, and those who remember the recent past. AHCA and LeadingAge offer up areas for improvement. Read More »
The four “Quality Initiative” goals have been defined for the next three years to set specific benchmarks for long-term and post-acute care quality improvement. Read More »
Nurse assessment coordinators report lower job satisfaction and general frustration managing and administrating the new tool. Additionally, constant changes have made it difficult to keep up with the new rules. That said, CMS got some important things right with 3.0. Read More »
The Long-Term Quality Alliance released a white paper reporting the lack of quality measures in long-term care to prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions. Read More »
Survey excellence should be a professional goal of all healthcare workers. I suggest a three-step approach to encouraging complete staff involvement: the Focus Review, the Fast Track and the Survey Prime. Read More »
One of the more exciting aspects of covering an industry so heavily affected by government policy is to observe how provider associations and advocates aggressively lobby for change. But how often do groups actually demand it? Read More »
The 14 quality measures address a wide range of care concerns, including pain management, psychosocial needs, care transitions and experiences of care. Read More »
The CMS announcement followed a separate HHS report finding that the government had recovered nearly $4.1 billion in healthcare fraud cases during FY2011. Read More »
The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care called Obama’s approach to achieving the proposed $4 trillion in deficit reductions a “strategy of ‘cuts only’ without reforms.” Read More »
Advanced Standing, a four-year pilot program, will expand oversight of assisted living facilities in the state and for the first time collect quality data on these facilities. Read More »
"Dear Abby" readers have weighed in on an important resident issue--elderspeak. Sugary terms of address are no-nos when conversing with an elder, but are they always disrespectful? Read More »
The 2013 budget includes proposals to cut approximately $248 billion on Medicare and $72 billion on Medicaid and to lower payments to nursing homes. Read More »
Bethany Health Care Center, Framingham, Mass., has made U.S. News & World Report's annual list of top-rated nursing homes three times. Its administrator explains the simple formula for her community's success. Read More »
Only a handful of states are expected to see an increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, according to projections by the National Association of Medicaid Directors. Read More »
The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, which announced the poll's findings, intends to broadcast the results “on Capitol Hill and in states across the nation.” Read More »
The Measures Application Partnership is recommending a coordinated performance measurement that promotes quality improvement across the industry. Read More »
The current Medicare payment policy for hospital “never events” has created risks for unassuming post-acute providers. Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and CCRCs need to prepare for the coming impact. Read More »
LGBT seniors should not have to return to the closet to get the services they need—that is a hardship no one should endure. Like all elders, LGBT people want to be treated with dignity. Read More »
The CBO said outlays for Medicare would be $9 billion higher in 2012 alone if Congress overrides a scheduled 27 percent reduction under the SGR, which would take effect March 1. Read More »
"Don’t mess with residents’ dietary requirements" is the rallying cry of Jewish nursing home advocates after a past veto by Mitt Romney for funding kosher meals garners renewed attention. Read More »
The CMS rule, which implements prescription drug provisions of the Affordable Care Act, would increase transparency in drug pricing to ensure states are not overpaying for prescription drugs. Read More »
Gov. Quinn has boosted nursing home funding by millions of dollars to help carry out safety reforms passed in 2010. This is because the state won’t have to touch its own coffers to distribute the cash. Read More »
The industry is focused on reducing hospital readmissions and improving patient and staff satisfaction, AHCA/NCAL said. However, those goals may be in jeopardy with the likelihood of diminishing reimbursement. Read More »
