Identifying problem areas, establishing goals, selecting committees and accessing data to enhance quality are components that determine whether a facility should charter a performance improvement committee. Read More »
Payments to home health agencies would decrease by 0.3 percent in fiscal year 2015 under changes to the Medicare prospective payment system proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS will accept comments on the proposal until Sept. 2. Read More »
Fifteen skilled nursing facilities or nursing facilities have joined the latest Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services list of poor survey performers. Read More »
Long-term acute care hospitals, freestanding inpatient rehabilitation facilities, hospices, partial hospitalization programs and some skilled nursing facilities can now access their Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Reports electronically. Read More »
The Long-Term and Post-Acute Care Health IT Collaborative is putting the final touches on its 2014-2016 Roadmap for technology adoption in the long-term/post-acute industry this week, and it's about a lot more than electronic medical records. Read More »
A new report offers suggestions for improving long-term supports and services for those with dementia, including changes for residential care and the direct-care workforce. Read More »
States that use nursing homes less and minimize transitions between care settings earn higher marks in a new report that ranks states in terms of their LTSS offerings. Read More »
As those working in long-term care and policymakers grapple with how such care should be planned for and financed in the United States, a new survey reveals the attitudes and expectations of residents of one large, diverse state. Read More »
In our latest executive profile, Long-Term Living spoke with Mary Ellen Bloodgood, CEO of Menorah Park in Syracuse, NY, to learn how she was instrumental in turning around a stand-alone nursing home into a campus that serves not only seniors, but others in the greater community. Read More »
Now that your facility's QAPI plan has been developed and leadership and staff are on board, it's time to put the plan into practice in the constant mission to improve and enhance quality care. Read More »
Older adults in poor health or with disability are more at risk to suffer from long-term effects of medical injury (adverse medical events), a study finds. Read More »
The reimbursement and information generated by the MDS is integral to a facility's financial health, quality care and outcomes. MDS coordinators need to connect with middle and upper management. Read More »
A six-city effort has resulted in charges against 90 people for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving what the government says is approximately $260 million in false billings. Read More »
The Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation is launching research, a workshop and a symposium to explore the delivery of Medicare skilled home healthcare to a growing population of older adults. Read More »
Several former government officials and policy experts are coming together in an effort to find a way to improve the financing and delivery of long-term services and supports for the country’s aging population and working-aged people with disabilities. Read More »
Jonathan Blum, principal deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will be stepping down from his post effective May 16, according to preliminary news media reports. Read More »
One state's Medicaid agency is paying for search and analysis of social media comments and complaints to improve customer service and address perceived problems. Read More »
Organizations serving those working in the long-term care industry are offering praise for the efforts of Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as she resigns, and they also are looking to the future. Read More »
President Obama publicly accepted the resignation of Kathleen Sebelius as HHS secretary and announced the nomination of Sylvia Mathews Burwell, currently OMB director, to replace Sebelius at an April 11 event in the White House Rose Garden. Read More »
The Social Security Act says that pharmacists aren't providers. But many in the healthcare industry are now saying the expanded role of pharmacists, especially in long-term care, deserves another look. Read More »
A new system will try to ensure that hospices conduct the proper assessments and address patient questions and concerns about pain, respiratory status, medications and patient preferences, according to an April 8 notice in the Federal Register. Read More »
