I Advance Senior Care
I Advance Senior Care is the industry-leading source for practical, in-depth, business-building, and resident care information for owners, executives, administrators, and directors of nursing at assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities, post-acute facilities, and continuing care retirement communities. The I Advance Senior Care editorial team and industry experts provide market analysis, strategic direction, policy commentary, clinical best-practices, business management, and technology breakthroughs.
I Advance Senior Care is part of the Institute for the Advancement of Senior Care and published by Plain-English Health Care.
I Advance Senior Care is part of the Institute for the Advancement of Senior Care and published by Plain-English Health Care.
Private pay solutions bridge LTC funding gap
Private pay has become the holy grail of long-term care, and a powerful combination of industry leadership and political action is opening up access for the consumer to new funding options. Every owner of a life insurance policy has the legal right to convert their policy to pay for long-term care while still alive—but too few consumers and LTC industry professionals are aware of this fact. Read More » Faster wound healing spurred by innovative treatments
New approaches to wound care using biological dressing, negative pressure wound therapy and other devices are driving the growth of the wound care market, according to market research. Read More » Creating a culture of collaboration in LTC
With the need for states to rein in healthcare budgets, we are seeing a rapid move toward managed long-term care in states across the country. These changes are forcing many LTC providers to adapt to a new healthcare environment. Read More » Payors line up to carry the reform mantle if ACA falls
Some insurers aren't waiting for the Supreme Court's decision to show how they feel about some of the reforms within the Affordable Care Act. Read More » Ask the Medical Director: The appropriate use of antipsychotic medications in LTC
Last spring (May 2011), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a report titled, "Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims for Elderly Nursing Home Residents." Here is what medical directors practicing in long-term care had to say about the appropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medications. Read More » Nursing home sex: An emotional outlet or a safety issue?
Sexual appetites don’t disappear after age 50, an Australian study concludes. However, seniors in nursing homes often have to sneak around because administrators are concerned about safety risks. Read More » Symptoms of depression in hospital nurses are greater than in the general population
Sadly, many hospital nurses are depressed according to a study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative. Read More » Supported living for persons with brain injury: Addressing an aging population
Cutting-edge organizations that are effectively meeting the challenges of caring for an aging population with acquired brain injuries are implementing strategies that promote good health and quality of life by actively engaging both mind and body. Read More » Adequate air conditioning
On a hot day in the spring of 2011, a nurse said the building’s temperature could get hot in the summer, sometimes as high as 100 degrees. I remembered that on May days when my room was not cool. Even with a fan some evenings my thermometer read 87 degrees and I was perspiring profusely. Read More » Research group launches testing lab for next generation of home health technology for seniors
Georgia Tech’s new lab for senior home health technology will test pilot products designed to help seniors remain independent for longer and to assist them in maintaining chronic conditions at home. Read More » Genesis HealthCare acquires Sun Healthcare for $217 million
Genesis HealthCare, one of the nation’s largest long-term care providers, buys Sun Healthcare Group to expand its services, geographic presence and grow business during these uncertain times in the healthcare industry. Read More » HHS: Consumers will get rebates from payors who failed the “80/20 Rule”
HHS and the Office of Health Reform announced today that customers will get money back from insurers who didn’t meet 80/20 rule. Payors will also have to explain why they didn't meet the mandate. Read More » Nursing care market fundamentals remain stable
The stability in nursing care market fundamentals continues, as occupancy remains essentially flat, according to NIC MAP. In 1Q12, nursing care occupancy was 88.2 percent, which is unchanged from the prior quarter and a 30 basis point decrease in the past year. Read More » eHDS User Group: While CMS continues to innovate, unpredictable Congress could cut healthcare funding
NASL’s Cynthia Morton shares insights on Congressional legislation and CMS innovation projects with attendees at this week’s eHDS User Group meeting. Read More » By 2020, 5.2 million more healthcare workers will be needed, study says
However the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the need for additional healthcare workers at all levels will continue to grow. Read More » Loneliness may be a predictor of illness, decline or death in seniors
Loneliness is not just a case of being alone. Findings from a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study show how loneliness can negatively impact the health of seniors. Read More » The first 24 hours: Best practices for response to serious incidents
While not every prospective adverse event can be mapped out with anticipated responses and scenarios, there are steps owners and providers can take, especially in the first 24 hours after a serious event, to better protect residents, their families and employees. Read More » Study indicates a vascular link to Alzheimer’s
A study shows how ApoE4 can unleash an excess of the protein cyclophilin A into the cardiovascular system, causing inflammation in atherosclerosis and other conditions. The study also found that ApoE4 makes it more likely for cyclophilin A to accumulate in cells that help maintain the blood-brain barrier, reducing blood to the brain and allowing toxic substances to infiltrate. Read More » Hospitalization can lead to adverse events for people with Alzheimer’s
While hospitalization affects any patient with Alzheimer’s disease, those who suffer delirium are at a greater risk for adverse events, which may lead to nursing home admission, cognitive decline or death. Read More » Spaces and interpersonal communication
In community life, physical spaces help or hinder communication. Room configurations have a definite impact on how people communicate and interact within that space. Read More » AMA works with insurers to cut medical claim errors
Making the claims processing more efficient, leads to savings and allows physicians to spend more time on patient care and less on payment reconciliations. Read More » Top U.S. health insurance regulator leaves for private sector
Another leading federal health insurance regulator takes industry knowledge and expertise to private health insurer. Does he know something about SCOTUS we don't? Read More » Long-term care scores big in Texas
Throughout the country, select organizations have received CMS Innovation awards for projects that aim to improve healthcare and access to people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. Read More » Finding a good AFO vendor
I am back to square one with shabby looking AFOs. I am going to contact my former orthotists for their input. But, I may have to go to a different orthotic company to get the braces I want. Read More » ALFA recognizes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, with online tools to combat abuse
Around the world, senior living communities are raising awareness of and education to prevent future elder abuse. Read More » Medicaid fraud audits cost more than is recovered, CMS admits
Medicaid audit recovery is disappointing. A GAO report blames ineffective Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS) data. Read More » Study: Reducing avoidable hospitalizations for dual-eligibles could save millions
The authors identified five conditions—pneumonia, congestive heart failure, urinary tract infection, dehydration and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma—that were responsible for more than three-quarters of the potentially avoidable hospitalizations. Read More » Senate committee rejects attempts to shackle reform’s prevention funds
The Senate Appropriations Committee today struck down several amendments aimed at putting a chokehold on funds allotted by the Affordable Care Act, including a prevention fund containing millions for eldercare initiatives. Read More » U.S. healthcare spending to surge in 2014; overall spending to rise with or without the ACA, journal reports
A detailed economic forecast, released this week by Health Affairs, predicts national healthcare spending will experience “modest growth” during the next nine years, but will spike in 2014 when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage expansions activate. Read More » 