Administration

The race to reduce hospital readmissions

LTC providers are poised to play a big part in turning around the trend of high hospital readmissions with the ever-increasing tools and support continuing to be generated by the innovative within their own industry. Three providers share their effective strategies. Read More »

Snowbirds in Florida

In this blog, Pamela Tabar recounts her two-week visit with a group of septuagenarians, and how snowbirding seniors can teach us a lot about the high-tech, high-service expectations senior living organizations are going to have to meet--starting now. Read More »

FDA may switch hydrocodone to stricter access level

A popular pain medication, currrently under review by the Food Drug Administration, may become much harder to acquire. Read More »

How to reposition dated LTC assets

As the long-term care industry takes on more business in short-term rehabilitation and new expectations from the baby boomer generation, many facilities are finding themselves forced to renovate their buildings and their operations to keep up with the market changes.  Read More »

Share your LTC community’s award-worthy care program

It's OPTIMA Award season! Share your long-term care community's award-worthy resident-centered care program for a chance to garner Long-Term Living's prestigious honor and recognition by industry peers. Read More »

Namaste: Honoring the spirit within

Shelley Silverman King, RN, explains how a Massachusetts facility uses specially trained caregivers and a room full of sensory experiences—music, lighting, hand massage, aromatherapy and other stimuli—to reach its most isolated and lonely population: its residents with advanced dementia.  Read More »

CMS cleans up guidelines on laundry and infection control

Modern detergents and new laundering technologies have prompted the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise the laundry notes under F tag 411. Read More »

CMS mandates greater disclosure on provider/manufacturer relationships

How much do you know about your GPO? CMS has instituted stricter disclosure rules pertaining to the financial relationships between providers and drug and device manufacturers. Read More »

Administration expands opt-out for ACA contraceptives mandate

The Obama Administration on Friday said it would seek public comment on a new "opt-out" provision that is designed to meet the concerns of faith-based opponents to the earlier contraceptive mandate proposed for the ACA. Read More »

No downside to upside risk

A new program designed for young adults with intellectual disabilities can help seniors overcome their challenges in positive, supportive long-term care environments. Read More »

Pew releases database of state Medicaid anti-fraud strategies

The Affordable Care Act requires states to have policies to combat fraud, but each state can choose how to do it. A new database shows what each state is doing to combat Medicaid fraud on their home turf. Read More »

Got checks? Feds mark 30-day countdown to paperless benefit payments

Anyone who receives any federal benefits—from Social Security to VA benefits—must switch to electronic payments by March 1. Read More »

CMS announces test sites for bundled payment program

Hundreds of provider sites are ready to test the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ four new models for restructuring the way episodes of care are paid for. Read More »

HHS translates healthcare insurance exchanges for clarity

State-based health insurance exchanges, already battered by state resistance and party-line politics, have one more hurdle to overcome. Read More »

Durable medical equipment providers attract OIG’s fraud spotlight

Although therapy billing has taken a lot of the heat lately in CMS’ hunt for fradulent billing practices, the next big target might be something more durable. Read More »

Study: Poor quality sleep leads to memory loss in seniors

Counting sheep from loss of sleep? Poor sleep can have a direct effect on more than just physical energy in elders, according to a new neurology study. Read More »

Designing international aged care environments

Whether caring for seniors in the United States or in a village in the Pacific Rim, providing culture-specific environments and services is taking design in a new direction as seen in three international projects. Read More »

The MDS’s impact on quality of care and quality of life

Most nursing home providers understand the importance of auditing the MDS against the medical record to ensure that the chart supports the coding decisions represented on the MDS. But analyzing MDS responses in the context of quality seems to be a missed opportunity for many providers. Read More »

Most Americans oppose Medicare cuts, according to poll

While most Americans say that Washington should act quickly to bring down the deficit, there is little public support for major reductions in federal spending on Medicare, according to the results of a national poll. Read More »

Tragic blaze in Brazil, fire at AL facility put focus on fire safety

The tragic events surrounding the deadly nightclub fire that happened over the weekend in Brazil should remind occupancies of all types to focus on fire safety every day of the year. Read More »

Guidelines provided for brain amyloid imaging in people with Alzheimer’s

The first criteria for the appropriate use of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging technology to aid in the diagnosis of people with suspected Alzheimer's disease were released Monday by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and the Alzheimer's Association. Read More »

Casting a critical eye on our environments for aging

The long-term care industry has advanced dramatically in recent years when it comes to innovations in healthcare and living environments for our aging population. At St. John's on the Lake in Milwaukee, 20 LTC designers, architects and academics have gathered to judge 59 new senior housing projects. They are a tough and demanding group. Read More »

New norovirus challenges long-term care providers

Add a new norovirus to the list of contagious agents in an already busy flu season for long-term care providers. Read More »

Skilled or unskilled nursing: Feds ramp up investigations, prosecutions

An increased focus by the Attorney General’s office on the conditions in SNFs throughout the state of California mirror the trend of enforcement and prosecution against those in the healthcare industry across the country. Read More »

It’s all in the design: A preview of the 2013 Environments for Aging Conference

Good design in environments for the aging improves not only the quality of life for residents, but it resonates, and hopefully improves, every aspect of the senior living business, from marketing to housekeeping. Nowhere will LTC professionals find a more comprehensive and qualified collection of minds from the architecture, interior design and building fields than at Long-Term Living’s 2013 Environments for Aging Conference. Read More »

3 small changes promise big impact in motivating your LTC staff

This could be the year to address perennial problems plaguing your organization. Take advantage of the new year’s momentum by making minor adjustments in three areas for a big impact: appreciation, repair and organization. Read More »

Study: Online doctor consults can be as effective as office visits

Not every illness warrants face-to-face physician care. A new study suggests logging on can save time and money. Read More »

President Obama mentions Medicare and Medicaid in his second inaugural speech

President Obama touched on Medicare and Medicaid in his second inaugural address on Jan. 21, in a speech with a strong focus on unity among Americans and with a heavy emphasis on social progress. Read More »

Spots on my nails

At times, health conditions, such as quadriplegia, can have some unusual manifestations on other parts of the body. Are they the result of an existing condition or a symptom of another health issue? Don't ignore spots, rashes, discoloration and other changes as Kathy Mears can verify. Read More »

Washington budget fight has LTC industry fretting over more cuts

The fiscal cliff battle is behind us, but the nation is heading to another possible financial crisis caused largely by politics, and the nursing home sector—and their residents—could well be caught in the middle. Read More »