In a concentrated effort to halt the spread and severity of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, an advisory council will be assembled to combat this serious health threat Read More »
Massachusetts nursing homes are no longer allowed to advertise memory care services unless they meet specific state standards for care. Will this become a trend nationwide? Read More »
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources now requires fingerprint-based state and national criminal background checks for long-term care workers. Read More »
MDS coordinators are charged with the responsibility to ensure all of the data accurately reflects all residents and the care that is being provided to them. Read More »
One of the fastest-growing retirement states in the country, Arizona senior advocates applaud the state legislature for taking this first step toward transparency. Read More »
If you have transgender employees—even if you don’t—it’s important for employers to be aware of the requirements in providing restroom access based on gender indentification. Read More »
An assisted living owner looking to sell the building puts the heat on residents to vacate the premises by turning off their air conditioning. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is partnering with the state of Rhode Island to try out a new model for providing person-centered care to Medicare/Medicaid dual enrollees. Read More »
Overall national healthcare spending is expected to rise by modest amounts during the decade from 2014-2024, notes a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services budget report released today. Read More »
A new pilot program model from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will test whether hospice care and curative care should be offered simultaneously, instead of asking terminally-ill patients to choose one or the other. Read More »
The 400-page proposal includes new rules to reduce hospitalizations, infections and resident risks. But, opponents question the financial impacts: Feds estimate the cost would be nearly $90,000 per facility over two years. Read More »
A new directive is aimed to further reduce the risk of tuberculosis (TB) to employees working in healthcare settings, including new rules for screening and bloodwork. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants all nursing homes and long-term care facilities to participate in health information exchange. Read More »
In a milestone addition to its physician payment schedule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes to add a new billing code to allow for the reimbursement of advanced care planning services. Read More »
In response to requests from the provider community, CMS is releasing additional guidance that will aim to allow for flexibility in the claims auditing and quality reporting process Read More »
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration expanded its inspections to include musculoskeletal injuries related to patient or resident handling and four other risks to nurses. Read More »
Workgroups responsible for implementing the standardization of documentation codes across care settings under the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) have been busy during the past year, and SNFs may have to be ready to report under the new assessment data as early as fall 2016, noted panel presenters at this week's Long-Term and Post-Acute Care Health IT Summit in Baltimore. Read More »
Bridging the gap between physicians, residents and families, Caremerge launches a chronic care management solution that takes care coordination reimbursement into account. Read More »
