Policy

Former assisted living CEO pleads guilty to tax evasion

The former CEO of a North Carolina-based chain of assisted living facilities operated by Caremerica Inc., pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service out of millions in employment taxes. Read More »

Poll: Most healthcare organizations not optimistic on ACO participation

The executives surveyed said their organizations do not have a comprehensive understanding of the various CMS programs and their financial implications, even after publication of final rules. Read More »

NLRB final rule accelerates union elections

Providers contend final rule will shorten the time employees may learn about union membership before an election, grant the NLRB latitude to decide election issues and limit an employer’s ability to appeal initial election hearing findings. Read More »

NCPA: Changes to LTC pharmacy consultants ‘jeopardize rural healthcare’

CMS has proposed changes to LTC pharmacy consultants that the NCPA says could imperil independent community pharmacies. Read More »

10 top LTC news stories of 2011

This year, providers faced waves of regulatory, economic and societal challenges that tested their adaptability and fortitude. Read More »

Pioneer ACO model attracts 32 healthcare providers

The 32 participating organizations could save Medicare up to $1.1 billion over five years, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Read More »

What’s going on with nursing homes in the news?

The Detroit Free Press ran a provocative overview on the state of Michigan nursing home quality. And the Star Tribune reported on Minnesota granting waivers to former criminals seeking employment in nursing homes. Read More »

Medicaid LTC funding shortfall projected at $6.3 Billion in 2011

The projected shortfall in Medicaid funding for long-term care represents a new high for Medicaid, according to a new report. Read More »

Provider groups: GOP spending bill would mean more SNF Medicare reductions

AHCA and the Alliance decry bad debt provision within the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011. Read More »

Revisions to ACO rule encourage provider participation

Bob Gatty Now that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final and revised rule for accountable care organizations Read More »

Intergenerational relationships: The other is us

First Year Seminar photos courtesy of UMBC New Media Studio At the LeadingAge conference in October, Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel spoke about Read More »

Magic or mayhem: What’s ahead? Part 2

Editor's note: Last month, Long-Term Living readers were treated to five of Richard Peck's predictions for the industry in the coming years Read More »

Future cuts may realistically push SNFs over the edge (and into the red)

Provider groups have been saying this for years: Skilled nursing facilities cannot survive another round of cuts. (Actually, it’s usually stated more Read More »

Could reimbursement cuts be the impetus for lawsuit reform?

Long-term care providers are justly lamenting the harsh 11.1 percent Medicare reimbursement cuts that took effect on October 1. But in the Read More »

A patient-centered pragmatist may take helm of CMS

It came as no great surprise last week when Donald Berwick, MD, announced his resignation as administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Read More »

Why LTC providers need electronic health records

There are no financial incentives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for providers of long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) to adopt. Read More »

‘Super committee’ teeters toward stalemate

It’s going to be a long weekend for certain members of Congress. The bi-partisan 12-member “super committee,” tasked with finding $1.2 trillion in Read More »

Annual surveys from the resident’s perspective

In 15 years spent between two nursing homes, I have come to see many annual surveys. At my first facility, the aides were very nervous at survey Read More »

Magic or mayhem: What’s ahead?

Predicting can be a fool's game-so many unforeseen events, personalities and circumstances can intrude to cloud the crystal ball. Predictions are as Read More »

One-two punch: CLASS demise and budget cuts

Bob Gatty The hits from Washington keep coming for the LTC industry, already reeling from a series of Medicare and Medicaid cuts, and now facing Read More »

Nursing homes: Past, present and future

Judah L. Ronch, PhD The ancestors of the modern nursing home were the almshouses of the colonial era. Over time, settings for the care of the Read More »

Adult day centers a new casualty of Medicaid cuts

The warnings have been well reported up to this point. Unfortunately, providers have little say in the matters of Medicaid and the transformations Read More »

Overwhelmed in the aftermath of a federal survey

I searched on Google for images of the word “overwhelmed” and you can only imagine what I saw. In truth, I thought I would see a picture of a Read More »

CMS admin Berwick stresses provider collaboration at LeadingAge

Donald Berwick wants you to forget about the current strife in Washington and get back to the basics: “better health, better care, lower costs”—the Read More »

Is CLASS really over?

Like thousands of other long-term care industry providers, educators, advocates, vendors (and journalists) making final preparations to attend this Read More »

Home health billing practices under fire from multiple flanks

Three recent developments indicate sharp scrutiny being placed on the home health industry. Stemming from Congress, the courts and the Office of Read More »

Employers fight proposed union election timelines

Bob Gatty Business organizations, including representatives of the long-term care industry, have mobilized to fight a proposed new regulation from Read More »

‘Embrace the change’ of healthcare reform

A recurring theme at the recent AHCA (American Health Care Association) national conference was the need for skilled nursing providers to be Read More »

Provider associations displeased with nursing home painkiller bill

A bill introduced last month by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), titled the “Nursing Home Resident Pain Relief Act of 2011,” requires major revisions if it Read More »

Try these 3 programs to increase Medicare census and reimbursement

October 1st is looming. That dreaded date, what with its Medicare cuts, is causing facilities to scramble and evaluate budget savings and other Read More »