Healthcare reform

Improved care transitions will aid resident health: study

New research suggests how health policymakers and caregivers can better coordinate the transitions of care that find 22 percent of older adults moving from and among hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care communities and their homes. Read More »

Making direct care more appealing

Addressing reasons for staff turnover could help ensure quality and cost control in your facility while improving the lives of your employees. One initiative offers some solutions. What would you add? Read More »

Proposed budget cuts concern LTC groups

Long-term care provider associations express appreciation for the proposed 2015 budget’s support of some senior housing and services but disappointment in potential program cuts. Read More »

CMS postpones some Medicare Part D changes

The agency will seek additional input before implementing several controversial proposals affecting the Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D prescription drug program. Read More »

PACE crosses the 100 mark

The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly model of senior care reaches a milestone as an alternative to traditional skilled nursing homes service models. Read More »

Obama’s FY15 budget proposal: What’s in it for long-term care?

President Obama’s budget for 2015 focuses heavily on healthcare, offering new funding for some and deeper cuts for others. Read More »

How to reduce variations in post-acute care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is eyeing variations in treatments for those in post-acute care settings with similar medical conditions in an effort to mitigate negative clinical and financial effects. The scrutiny is call to action for LT/PAC operators. Read More »

CMS puts recovery audit program on temporary hold

The backlog of cases appealing audit decisions and payment denials has cause CMS to make a radical move: Hit the pause button on the audit program until contractors can catch up. Read More »

Institute of Medicine names next president

An expert in hypertension, congestive heart failure and gene therapy for vascular disease has been named the next president of the advisory body the Institute of Medicine. Read More »

Rural health initiative taking shape

CMS is giving some states the opportunity to expand healthcare options in rural areas.  Read More »

Congress continues to wrangle with Medicare, Medicaid issues

Medicare physicians will automatically see a 24 percent reduction in pay if Congress does not act by March 31. Read More »

Alzheimer’s, diabetes, arthritis focus of new collaboration

Government agencies, drug companies and disease-focused nonprofit organizations are joining forces to develop new methods of diagnosing and treating diseases more quickly and at less cost. Read More »

12 steps to QAPI: Step 1: Leadership

In the first installment of our series on achieving Quality Assurance Performance Improvement, Nell Griffin, LPN, EdM, a quality improvement facilitator and TeamSTEPPS trainer, explains the importance of leadership engagement, responsibility and accountability through proactive care practices and administrative policies. Read More »

Increased hospitalization risk tied to home- and community-based care: study

Seniors transferring from nursing homes to home- and community-based services are at 40 percent greater risk of “potentially preventable” hospitalizations, according to a newly published study. Read More »

CMS issues final rule about home- and community-based programs

Alternatives to institutional care are the focus of a final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Read More »

U.S. spends more on SNF, CCRC care, but home healthcare spending growing faster: report

The United States spends more money for care provided at skilled nursing facilities and continuing care retirement communities than for care provided through home healthcare agencies, according to a new report, but spending for home healthcare is growing at a faster rate.  Read More »

U.S. life expectancy challenged despite healthcare spending: report

The United States has not experienced the lower mortality rates and higher life expectancy normally associated with higher health-related spending per capita, according to a recent report. Read More »

2014: The year of the ACO?

After a mixed year of progress and stumblings, accountable care organizations are expected to surge as a care model in 2014, according to a year-over-year trends report. Read More »

Killing the SGR and therapy caps

Congress may be ready to do away with the sustainable growth rate (SGR), re-fix the “doc fix” and ditch therapy caps, but will skilled nursing become the scapegoat for the costs? Read More »

NCOA ‘cautiously optimistic’ for permanent QI fix in 2014

The National Council on Aging is “disappointed” that Congress has not acted to make permanent a program that pays Part B premiums for some Medicare recipients, but the organization remains hopeful that the program will be made permanent in 2014. Read More »

CCRC occupancy to stay the same or improve in 2014: report

Occupancy levels at nonprofit continuing care retirement communities will remain stable or improve in 2014, according to a new report. Read More »

AMDA’s program targets antipsychotic drug use for dementia

A new program developed by AMDA teaches long-term care staffers and doctors how to recognize, assess and treat symptoms of dementia while minimizing the use of antispychotic drugs. Read More »

OIG to CMS: Add hospitalization rates to nursing home quality ratings and surveys

The Office of Inspector General wants hospitalization rates to be added to CMS's nursing home quality rankings. But will the numbers tell the real story or just muddy the waters? Read More »

Federal grants to shore up healthcare workforce

New funding has been earmarked to develop, educate and grow a diversified healthcare workforce across the United States. Read More »

Small businesses face year delay in using federal health insurance website

Continuing issues with a government website mean that, for now, small employers will need to go through an insurance company, agent or broker to enroll in medical plans through the new federal marketplace. Read More »

New bill ties 3-day stay waiver to Nursing Home Compare ratings

Under a proposed bill, SNFs meeting certain criteria based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality ratings automatically would qualify to waive the prior hospitalization requirement for Medicare coverage of Part A skilled nursing care benefits. Read More »

Chasing the healthcare dollar

These days, the definitions of "service lines" are blurring as traditionally separate entities merge, partner and expand to capture more and more of the consumer’s healthcare spend. As the lines between payers and providers erode, where will post-acute care end up? Read More »

Congress acts to fix the Medicare SGR

A plan by Congress may finally fix sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula issues for physicians, but long-term care and outpatient therapy services could suffer in the process. Read More »

Long-term care-related comedy to air on HBO

You may see some familiar faces on Nov. 24 when HBO debuts a comedy about a “ragtag crew” caring for elderly women at a hospital’s extended care unit. Read More »

CMS issues 2014 Medicare payment rate updates

The Medicare payment updates for 2014 have been released. How can your facility best guide your own resident beneficiaries? Read More »