Healthcare reform

Hawaii legislature proposes LTC benefits for seniors

Proposed legislation could make Hawaii the first state in the nation to offer long-term care benefits to seniors.  Read More »

JAMDA study IDs readmission spike

Better coordination between hospitals and post-acute care facilities could reduce patient readmission to hospitals and mortality rates. Read More »

National health spending picks up steam

The national healthcare spending growth rate has accelerated for the first time after five years of sluggish growth, according to new annual data from CMS. Read More »

Report: Liability costs expected to rise in 2016

Liability loss rates vary widely among individual states depending on tort reform, use of arbitration, the jittery market and many other factors, notes a new analysis. Read More »

CMS launches ACO kidney dialysis model

The new accountable care organization model creates a shared-cost program for end-stage renal disease. Read More »

Mastering the new SNF regs to maximize reimbursement

The new skilled nursing facility regulations under the IMPACT Act are coming. Has your facility adopted the best processes and attitudes to maximize reimbursement? Policy experts explain why sticking to the old status quo on processes won't be good enough. Read More »

CMS proposes individualized care plan for long-term care patients

CMS proposes revising the requirements long-term care facilities must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Read More »

AHCA/NCAL: New CMS nursing home regulations ‘simply too much’

The new proposed rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are not sitting well with the head of the American Health Care Association, who says they will takes years and extraordinary cost to implement. Read More »

MedPAC reviews possible new post-acute pay model

The commission discusses how to balance quality of patient care with new Medicare payment system. Read More »

One-on-one with…Montgomery Ostrander

Tree of Life Elder Care founder Montgomery Ostrander discusses how his organization has integrated mental health services with therapeutic and holistic programming for residents of its four group homes in California. Read More »

CMS adds more participants to bundled payments initiative

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced that 2,100 participants have moved on to the contract, risk-bearing period of the bundling pilot program. Read More »

An Obamacare repeal?

Expect another try by the GOP to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This latest attempt at repeal is tied to the federal budget. 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 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 »

White House Conference on Aging: New program and initiative roundup

The White House Conference on Aging was held Monday, and several new programs and initiatives were announced.  Read More »

Obama nominates Andy Slavitt as new CMS Administrator

Andy Slavitt has been serving as acting administrator since February. 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 »

White House Conference on Aging announces date for national event

July 13 will be the date for the White House Conference on Aging national event, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced today. Read More »

Organizations respond to proposed Medicaid changes

Leaders from organizations representing providers of housing, care and services for older adults say they continue to scrutinize the 653-page proposal of reforms to Medicaid managed care plans that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued May 26, but they shared their initial reactions with Long-Term Living. Read More »

Larry Minnix reflects on his seriously fun time as LeadingAge chief

Looming federal elections present the perfect time to step aside and let a successor fill his shoes, LeadingAge President and CEO Larry Minnix tells Long-Term Living in an exclusive interview. Read More »

Fraud prevention, enforcement efforts recover $3.3B in FY 2014

The government’s healthcare fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered $3.3 billion in fiscal year 2014 from individuals and companies that attempted to defraud federal health programs serving seniors and others, according to a new report. Read More »

SGR fix ahead

Congress may solve the sustainable growth rate puzzle, but for the long term, it may not matter all that much. Read More »

What the proposed 2016 budget would mean for senior living

The 2016 federal budget announced by President Barack Obama on Monday is a mixed bag for senior housing and services providers, according to several organizations representing them. Read More »

HHS to shift payment from volume to value

Providers will be paid by the federal government based on care quality rather than care quantity under new, measurable goals announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Monday. Read More »

Affordable Care Act could lead to lower Medicare spending

Could the Affordable Care Act lead to changes that will affect skilled nursing, hospice and home healthcare and lower Medicare spending? Authors of a new analysis think it could. Read More »

5 steps to ACA compliance

2015 has dawned and, with it, the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Here's what you need to do to make sure you're in compliance. Read More »

MedPAC’s site-neutral payment recommendation draws criticism

Don’t count the Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation or the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association among the fans of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommendation of “site-neutral” payments for certain beneficiaries. Read More »

Managed care a growing force in post-acute care

Managed care is a growing force that will become far more prominent in post-acute care and will exert much influence over day-to-day operations. Read More »

Rebasing impact report concerns home health group

A rebasing impact report issued by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission suffers from data and methodologic flaws, the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare maintains. Read More »

6 challenges facing those serving seniors in 2015

In this multi-part series, Long-Term Living takes a look at six challenges facing those who serve older adults in the new year. Read More »