Medication Management

Therapy billing fraud: When will LTC learn?

Providers who overbill or fudge their therapy services are on the DOJ’s radar more than ever. So why is there still so much therapy billing fraud? Read More »

FDA nixes 14-day drug pre-packaging rule

The new FDA rules acknowledge the unique role and dispensing needs of LTC pharmacies, including emergency kits and remote dispensing. Read More »

Delirium causes confusion for patients, caregivers

Delirium in long-term care settings is subtle, deadly and more prevalent than caregivers think, according to new findings.  Read More »

Medication Management Partners gets a new CEO

The Illinois-based long-term care pharmacy brings in a 36-year veteran as its new CEO. Read More »

Assisted living’s struggle with drug prices

The rising cost of drugs may be forcing assisted living residents to make some unhealthy choices, warns a new report. Someone could pay dearly for that later, especially at CCRCs. Read More »

Antipsychotics increase mortality risk among people with dementia

Researchers found another reason for trying nonpharmacological interventions to calm agitated people with dementia.  Read More »

A remedy for medication management

Long-term and post-acute care facilities in Oklahoma will be able to use Remedi SeniorCare’s PAXIT, a robotic dispensing technology for daily dosing to aid with prescription dispensing, improve patient safety and reduce waste.  Read More »

Medicare Part B outpatient drug payment cancelled

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will not move forward with a mandatory five-year Medicare initiative that would have tested new ways to pay for outpatient drugs under Medicare Part B. Read More »

Medications and the CMS Mega Rule

The new CMS rule for long-term care facilities includes plenty of medication-related changes, including antibiotic stewardship and new documentation requirements for medication reviews. Read More »

Leaders of Tomorrow

Leaders of Tomorrow would like to recognize professionals—especially those early in their careers—who already are making a difference on ... Read More »

Psychotropics increase falls risk among NH residents

Researchers have found antipsychotics and antidepressants increase the risk of falls for nursing home residents. That risk increased by nearly three-fold when those residents took at least one prescription on a scheduled basis.  Read More »

Oklahoma LTC pharmacy expands

Boomer Solutions has opened another pharmacy in partnership with Guardian Pharmacy to serve Oklahoma seniors across the care continuum.  Read More »

Eli Lilly raises white flag on dementia drug trial

Plenty of hopes had been pinned on the experimental drug, but its disappointing trial results may lead the scientific community to rethink the approach to Alzheimer’s disease treatments. Read More »

Reducing HAIs and improving LTC resident health

Long-term care facilities and hospitals are becoming more aware of the need for diligent infection control in resident populations--including better training. Read More »

What impact will Trump’s victory have on value-based healthcare?

As Republicans take control of the executive and legislative branches, how will the new Administration impact healthcare's initiatives and priorities? Healthcare information technology experts weigh in on key policy issues moving forward. Read More »

12 steps to reducing antianxiety/hypnotic meds

Want to extend the efforts to reduce unnecessary medications even further? Here’s how you can cut back on other behavior medications in a non-pharmacological way. Read More »

CMS proposes new payment models for diabetes prevention and wellness

National Diabetes Awareness month takes on extra meaning as Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator of CMS, pushes for better diabetes care. Read More »

The changing season of CMS

As the season shifts into fall, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is launching a new season of regulations for long-term and post-acute care. Read More »

How the RAI Manual changes encourage collaboration

AANAC's Judi Kulus, RN breaks down the impacts of the new RAI Manual changes and why SNF needs to collaborate better among their care teams and with their outside partners—including therapy providers and home health. Read More »

How much does blood pressure matter?

Older adults may reduce their risk of cardiovascular problems and stroke by taking an extra-aggressive approach to blood pressure management, says a NEJM study. Read More »

Admissions, discharges and data-sharing

Will hospitals and nursing homes ever be able to agree on a standard set of data to share during patient transfers? Thought leaders at the annual NASL meeting discuss the current regs—and what needs to happen next. Read More »

Is senior care going to pot?

As more states pass laws legalizing medical marijuana, how will federal lawmakers react to the new climate? Read More »

SCPC to Congress: Fix conflicting oversight and definitions of ‘LTC pharmacy’

As senior care continues to spread into an array of settings, providers can be confused by the patchwork of regulations and the conflicting definitions of what constitutes a long-term care pharmacy. Read More »

Vitamin D may help reduce asthma attacks

A meta-analysis of people with mostly mild to moderate asthma found that vitamin D supplements decreased the number of asthma attacks that required use of oral steroids and reduced the number of trips to the emergency department. Read More »

Some Alzheimer’s cases are better off on drugs, study says

In the past few years, most nursing homes have been reducing the use of antipsychotic drugs in favor of non-pharmacological interventions. But some people with certain Alzheimer's symptoms have a much high risk of relapse if drugs are withdrawn. Read More »

LeadingAge CAST expands medication management matrix

The portfolio of free resources helps providers explore various technology for supporting medication management. Read More »

CMS releases more cost data for Part D drugs

The latest data is a follow-on to the agency’s March report and provides additional cost data on the most-used drugs, the highest-cost drugs and other metrics for trend analyses. Read More »

Warning labels reduced improper medicine crushing

Researchers found that medicine packaging and training classes reduced the number of pill-crushing errors at nursing homes in the Netherlands.  Read More »

Pill organizers could put seniors at risk

Researchers studied the effectiveness of pill organizers and found seniors who used multi-compartment compliance aids (MCAs) had a higher incidence of falls. Read More »

Simplifying Rx refills improves medication adherence

Researchers found older adults who received mail-order prescriptions for chronic conditions were more likely to take their medicines when refills were bundled.  Read More »