The backlog of cases appealing audit decisions and payment denials has cause CMS to make a radical move: Hit the pause button on the audit program until contractors can catch up. Read More »
An expert in hypertension, congestive heart failure and gene therapy for vascular disease has been named the next president of the advisory body the Institute of Medicine. Read More »
Deficiencies and enforcement actions don't always have to be accepted without a challenge. Long-Term Living's legal expert, Alan Horowitz, explains the steps to appealing state survey deficiency reports. Read More »
The Older Americans Act should be reauthorized with a focus on maintaining program flexibility and addressing demographic changes, according to policy and aging experts who testified during a recent government hearing on the matter. Read More »
Long-term and post-acute providers who fail to adopt information technology may find themselves at a distinct disadvantage—or owned by someone else—down the road, one survey report suggests. Read More »
As of Oct. 1, you’ll have to find cigarettes somewhere other than your local CVS. But if you develop a chronic cough, the in-store clinics will be there to serve you. Read More »
A new study seeks to show the value of home- and community-based care for those with memory disorders, in hopes that more insurers might cover the cost of such programs, leading people away from nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Read More »
In Step 2 of our series on achieving Quality Assurance Performance Improvement, Nell Griffin, LPN, EdM, explains the importance of team building and teamwork. Read More »
A recent report highlights the success of a federal program to transition Medicaid recipients from long-term care facilities to home- and community-based settings, including reinstitutionalization rates and residential preferences of senior participants. Read More »
A bipartisan team of lawmakers has struck a deal to repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) and set new guaranteed pay increase for physicians that provide services under Medicare. Read More »
A new federal rule will allow senior care residents and their family designees direct access to lab test results, encouraging consumer care involvement. Read More »
Government agencies, drug companies and disease-focused nonprofit organizations are joining forces to develop new methods of diagnosing and treating diseases more quickly and at less cost. Read More »
A two-year project will examine cognitive health and aging in an effort to improve training for healthcare professionals and educate older adults, their families, caregivers and others. Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA) investigate the unmet need of palliative care globally. Read More »
The federal omnibus appropriations bill for 2014 has more than $1 trillion in funding for government programs. See how programs related to long-term care are affected. Read More »
Data, data, everywhere... How can LTC providers leverage resident monitoring data and facility information to make better patient care and business decisions? Read More »
The Joint Commission has released an updated guide for nursing, rehabilitation, home health and other care providers seeking accreditation or certification this year. Read More »
Four components should be part of every senior care provider's emergency preparedness plan, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Found out what the agency is proposing and how you can comment. Read More »
The Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights gets a stern dressing down from the OIG for failure to provide proper oversight on HIPAA security issues. Read More »
Certain factors relate to resident quality of life, but the government rating of the facility where they live is not one of them, according to new research. Read More »
