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 »
Those working in long-term care settings should be sure to practice hand hygiene at four key times, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This week is National Handwashing Awareness Week. Read More »
Long-Term Living blogger Kathleen Mears shares her well-thought-out travel plans, which will enable her to enjoy a postponed Thanksgiving feast with her family. Read More »
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 »
Not enough evidence exists to recommend routine screening in those not showing signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment, says the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in a draft recommendation. The group also has released a list of five areas in senior health that it believes deserve more research. Read More »
The emerging interdisciplinary field of geroscience maintains that aging itself is the major risk factor for most chronic diseases prevalent in the older population. Learn more. Read More »
Healthcare scams have sprung up since the October rollout of the Affordable Care Act. A California congressman's response to healthcare scams victimizing seniors in his jurisdiction is introduced as a bill in Congress. Read More »
Long-term care (LTC) companies that acquire and understand their data will be in a much stronger position as hospitals, managed care organizations and accountable care organizations look for LTC partners, experts say. Read More »
Medical and correctional care providers as well as advocacy groups are being encouraged to work together to devise guidelines for caring for those with violent criminal backgrounds or violent tendencies in long-term care facilities. Read More »
The government is encouraging family members to share health history information with one another on Thanksgiving. In addition to having a conversation at your own holiday table, you can mention the idea to residents and their families. Read More »
Two prominent organizations team up to create the first national effort to collect outcomes data and performance measures in assisted living settings. Read More »
In a challenge being faced in other parts of the country, too, California soon will have to make difficult fiscal trade-offs in an attempt to balance the long-term care needs of its residents with demands related to other programs, a new report finds. Read More »
Healthcare attorney Alan C. Horowitz explains the background to the latest revisions to the CMS compliance rules on fire sprinklers in skilled nursing facilities. Read More »
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 »
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 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 »
You can use a new poster from the government as part of your efforts to educate employees about the proper use of adult bed rails. It comes in English and Spanish language versions. Read More »
Preventing or managing diabetes can mean lower health insurance and other personnel-related costs for employers as well as healthier employees and residents. Here are some tips to help combat the disease, in observance of National Diabetes Month and World Diabetes Day. Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
