While quality and satisfaction scores have improved, skilled nursing facilities need to continue to improve and adapt to government policy and reimbursement cuts to survive. Read More »
Every country in the world--from Argentina to Zimbabwe--is confronted with the problem of caring for its elderly and paying for that care. Here's a firsthand look at how senior care is provided at a facility in France. Read More »
Who is entitled to access a deceased person’s protected health information? In Florida, the state’s law allows access to a range of unauthorized representatives. Read More »
Bed rails are supposed to keep residents safe, but some advocates say stricter standards are needed to keep them from doing more harm than good. Read More »
Alleged poor quality charges are landing providers in the poorhouse. A look at cases based on poor quality of care and the subsequent verdicts handed down. Read More »
Marilyn Tavenner has obtained a vote of confidence from a Senate committee in her bid to become the first confirmed administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in seven years. Read More »
This summer will be a busy one as Congress deliberates the 2014 budget and how, without revisions, its proposed cuts to Medicare may affect the physicians, hospitals and long-term care providers. Read More »
President Obama's new budget, released by the White House Wednesday, includes plenty of cuts, but also contains a few surprising increases. Read More »
Two top industry executives share their insights on assisted living’s climate and trends. Assisted living survived the economic downturn and the collapse of the housing market intact and it is geared up and ready to continue moving forward. Read More »
A new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services document clarifies what tasks physicians may delegate to nurses within nursing homes serving Medicare and Medicaid residents. Read More »
Senior Editor Pamela Tabar talks with Ruta Kadonoff, vice president of quality and regulatory affairs for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), about quality in long-term care—and why being able to measure it will be important for business. Read More »
The waiting is over. No resolution to the budget crisis means that sequestration begins—today. Long-term care facilities will feel the effects upfront, but a quieter casuality might be healthcare's information technology and data-sharing initiatives. Read More »
Florida’s Universal Health Care Insurance suddenly closed its doors last week, giving beneficiaries three days to choose another insurance provider. Read More »
Sweeping changes may be on the horizon for the way Medicare billing is divided, as President Obama and Republicans put the idea of combining Medicare Parts A and B back on the discussion table, the New York Times reports today. Read More »
Knowledge about the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers has come a long way, but has it come far enough to prevent and reduce the incidence of this problem in long-term care? Read More »
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) got a tongue-lashing from the Senate Finance Committee, while CMMI’s director explains that testing new models takes time before payment reforms can be put into action. Read More »
States have refined survey systems and are demanding more disclosure for assisted living, according to the Assisted Living State Regulatory Review, released Wednesday by The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). Read More »
Skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies face payment reductions, but hospices and long-term care hospitals get a first-round bye in MedPAC's latest Medicare payment recommendations to Congress. Read More »
Nursing home consumers—residents and their families—say the survey process has flaws that need to be addressed, according to a new report from the Coalition for Quality Care. Read More »
New data on hospital readmission shows that healthcare reform is making an impact--changing the rates for the first time in five years, says CMS. Read More »
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the country's third-largest health benefits purchaser, dropped a bombshell on its long-term care policyholders—switch LTC policies or deal with a massive rate increase. Read More »
A new report from the Office of Inspector General accuses skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) of misusing their Medicare payments, since more than one-third of SNFs don’t fulfill—or even create—the care plans and discharge goals required for their residents. Read More »
Widely recognized by his bushy beard and somber uniform, former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop became a household name for his anti-smoking campaign. Read More »
