Pamela Tabar
Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master's degree in English from the University of York, England.
Illinois hospice charged in $125M fraud case
An Illinois hospice services provider is accused of training employees to fudge hospice placements and upcharge for care. Read More » Fire and ice
A tragedy in Canada holds lessons in fire safety for us all—when was the last time you asked your employees to practice their fire emergency protocols? Updated: Jan. 30, 2014 Read More » Death toll rises in Quebec nursing home blaze; officials question sprinkler laws
The recent tragedy at a Canadian nursing home prompts new discussions on fire sprinklers and fire safety protocols. When was the last time you reviewed your fire emergency process? Read More » One-on-one with… Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC
The rising acuity of nursing home residents and the prevalence of increasingly resistant infections are compelling many long-term care organizations to ramp up infection control training and institute antibiotic stewardship programs. Read More » Achoo! Flu season nears peak
This year's flu season may not be as severe as last year's, but authorities say it will be peaking early. Read More » MRSA rates drop by 1/3 at Veterans Affairs LTC sites
A four-year, nationwide MRSA reduction initiative has shown what can curb MRSA rates, and these protocols may save your facility from an outbreak. Read More » Merwick wins senior living landscape architecture award
Rehabilitation for the real world inspired this award-winning design for a therapy garden that brings long-term and short-term residents together in year-round outdoor therapy spaces. Read More » Hypothermia: Reducing the risks of extreme weather
When winter weather turns extreme, it takes only moments for older adults to be at risk. Read More » Federal agency recommends annual CT scans for older smokers
Privately insured smokers age 55 to 80 now have access to free annual lung cancer screenings—but the tests are not covered by Medicare. 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 » HIMSS Foundation and National eHealth Collaborative merge
Two national health information technology organizations put their strengths together through a merger. Read More » Memory visits
How do you categorize holiday memories? Visiting with those with dementia gives a new view. Read More » Seek vitamin D from multiple sources for best fall prevention
Got milk? You may want to add other vitamin D sources to limit the chances of fall fractures, notes a new statement from the American Geriatrics Society. Read More » OIG releases strategic plan for 2014-2018
The Department of Health and Human Services and its oversight body, the Office of Inspector General, released reports this week identifying strategic goals for the next few years. Read More » Challenges: Disinfecting soft surfaces [PODCAST]
In Long-Term Living's "Challenges" Editorial Podcast series, we ask industry experts to help solve specific problems within the long-term care and post-acute care environments. This installment: How to combat infectious microbes on soft surfaces like curtains, chairs and sofas. 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 » LTC insurance provider raises the bar for policy rating
No more "fixed-rate forever" policies, says one major long-term care insurance provider, who plans to re-rate insurance policies and tighten benefits on new policies in an attempt to control the soaring costs of long-term care. Read More » Staying current in the currents
Long-Term Living is launching new options for those who want to keep up with the latest in trends, initiatives and news in the senior living and senior care—and best of all, they're free. Read More » Palliative care conversations crucial to ensuring choices
Avoiding discussions about prognosis and care goals may deny patients what they need to make informed choices. But what happens when the people skirting the conversation are the clinicians? Read More » NCAL, NJ launch first national patient safety organization for assisted living
Two prominent organizations team up to create the first national effort to collect outcomes data and performance measures in assisted living settings. 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 » CMS offers temporary fire sprinkler citation fix
CMS has revised its fire sprinkler compliance measure to ease the burden on facilities that are in the middle of sprinkler installations. But is the workaround just as challenging as the fire sprinkler citation? Read More » Kindred widens investments in home hospice care
A major senior care chain adds a significant home health component to its portfolio. 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 » CIO departs CMS; health exchange turmoil continues
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has lost its CIO amid the turbulent storm that has surrounded the agency for the past month. Read More » Eroding the payer/provider divide
Payers, providers and care networks are making vast efforts to combine care delivery, coverage and costs—merging control over the once-siloed segments of healthcare business. Will the post-acute care sector be the golden ticket to success or the cost-laden component that drags the system down? Read More » MRSA levels in SNFs may be higher than assumed
A new study of nursing home residents in California indicates that there's much more community-acquired MRSA in LTC settings than medical professionals first thought. Read More » Legionnaires’ takes a toll at two senior care sites
A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in an Alabama nursing home leaves one person dead and a dozen others ill, while earlier this fall the same bacterium killed five and sickened nearly 40 in an Ohio retirement community. Read More » National survey reveals gaps in opioid PCA pump practices
The first national survey of patient-controlled pain medication pumps has revealed red flags in how patient vitals are monitored and how risk factors are calculated. Read More » 