Assisted living

Trouble at two Kansas City senior living facilities

A somber day in Kansas City, Mo.: A wandering senior is found dead and an entire nursing home is evacuated at two senior living facilities. Read More »

EHR implementations: Don’t skimp on evaluations, planning, LTC facilities say

A team approach and solid planning upfront are crucial to a successful EHR implementation, according to new report from LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST). Read More »

HIMSS offers mobile medical apps assessment guide

The Health Information Management Systems Society has released a free guide to help healthcare facilities select the best mobile apps for their work tasks and environments. Read More »

Do bees know how to reverse aging?

A key clue to the importance of senior socialization and memory maintenance may come from an unlikely community: the local beehive. Read More »

‘TMI’ in designs for senior living

Senior living designers have yet to recognize that boomers entering communities will demand the same resources in senior living just as they have upped the ante by demanding restaurant style dining, fitness centers, spas and coffee shops. Read More »

Immunotherapy retains cognitive function, ADLs, Alzheimer’s study shows

Infusions of antibodies seem to help those with mild to moderate Alzheimer's to retain cognition and daily functions, according to a study presented at the 2012 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Read More »

LeadingAge launches financial assessment and referral service

LeadingAge has started a financial and legal advice service for its not-for-profit members. Struggling facilities can request an assessment and receive advice from experts for free. Read More »

Designing bold first impressions

Bold colors, modern artwork, sleek lines…this isn’t your grandmother’s nursing home. Long-term care owners and administrators have heard it before but it bears repeating. Today’s seniors, more active and engaged in mainstream culture than any other generation before them, appreciate good design. Read More »

Liability reform, alternative dispute resolution can save SNFs a bundle in liability claims

State reform to limit medical liability claims and facility-based arbitration agreements can have huge impacts on long-term care’s finances, notes a study by ACHA/NCAL and Aon Global Risk Consulting. Read More »

IOM: ‘Serious shortages’ in mental health resources loom for baby boomers

Major efforts are needed to increase the mental health workforce and train them in the mental health and substance abuse issues that relate to seniors, a new Institutes of Medicine report warns. Read More »

Alaska leads the nation in nursing home costs

Where a consumer lives plays a large role in his or her financial planning for long-term care. Costs from the nursing home through the home care categories vary greatly, according to a national study. Read More »

Seniors in “doughnut hole” may cut back on their antidepressants, heart and diabetes meds

While trying to save on prescription costs, seniors in the Medicare Part D doughnut hole are skipping or reducing their maintenance medications for depression, chronic heart failure and diabetes, among other chronic conditions, recent data suggests. Read More »

Adaptive re-use of existing senior living spaces

Innovative planning can allow traditional senior living spaces to be transformed into neighborhoods of shared spaces and private spaces, encouraging interaction and fostering memory care. Architect James Moyer describes the before and after designs. Read More »

Scientists confirm role of vitamin D in fracture prevention

High doses of vitamin D play a role in preventing bone fractures, especially in older women, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read More »

New tool assesses financial impact of ICD-10 switch

The Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and technology company Jvion have developed an online tool to help facilities calculate the financial impacts of migrating to ICD-10. Read More »

CMS proposes higher pay rates for end-stage renal disease

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed policy changes that would increase reimbursement rates for end-stage renal disease services. Performance data collected next year would affect the payment rates starting in 2015. Read More »

Environmental sustainability by design for assisted living

LEED certification is by no means a new concept, but in the LTC industry, many owners and operators have been tentative to embrace the concept and make it work on a large scale. Here's one owner that has done just that. Read More »

Techno health: New devices could fill roles in LTC

Portable stroke monitors, video visits, diabetes testing on a cell phone… these tools and more are coming soon to a healthcare site near you, according to an emerging technology report. Read More »

LTC leaders analyze impacts of ACA decision

Leaders digest: So the ACA stays. What now? Long-Term Living’s editors speak with leaders in the long-term and post-acute care industry the day the Supreme Court decision is announced. Read More »

Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act

BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court has decided the Affordable Care Act will stay in place. The majority voted to keep individual mandate and the right for Congress to offer funding for state reform programs. Read More »

Private pay solutions bridge LTC funding gap

Private pay has become the holy grail of long-term care, and a powerful combination of industry leadership and political action is opening up access for the consumer to new funding options. Every owner of a life insurance policy has the legal right to convert their policy to pay for long-term care while still alive—but too few consumers and LTC industry professionals are aware of this fact. Read More »

Payors line up to carry the reform mantle if ACA falls

Some insurers aren't waiting for the Supreme Court's decision to show how they feel about some of the reforms within the Affordable Care Act. Read More »

Hospital readmissions won’t improve without better transitions of care

Solving the problem of hospital readmissions will take much more than follow-up calls at home. Each link in the care chain has quality improvements to make, say health IT experts at the 2012 LTPAC Health IT Summit. Read More »

Research group launches testing lab for next generation of home health technology for seniors

Georgia Tech’s new lab for senior home health technology will test pilot products designed to help seniors remain independent for longer and to assist them in maintaining chronic conditions at home. Read More »

Genesis HealthCare acquires Sun Healthcare for $217 million

Genesis HealthCare, one of the nation’s largest long-term care providers, buys Sun Healthcare Group to expand its services, geographic presence and grow business during these uncertain times in the healthcare industry. Read More »

eHDS User Group: While CMS continues to innovate, unpredictable Congress could cut healthcare funding

NASL’s Cynthia Morton shares insights on Congressional legislation and CMS innovation projects with attendees at this week’s eHDS User Group meeting. Read More »

LTPAC HIT Summit: Harnessing the power of resident consumerism and wellness engagement

Consumer empowerment is on the rise, and HIT leaders explain why the LTPAC industry is looking with new eyes at another potential data source for electronic health records: the residents themselves. Read More »

LTPAC HIT Summit: Leaders reveal goals, concerns for 2012-2014 and meaningful use

Today’s morning sessions at the LTPAC HIT Summit included the “Roadmap for 2012-2014” and the meaningful use keynote by Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy Judy Murphy, RN. Both share how far we’ve come in the last two years, and how much further we need to go. Read More »

Study: Reducing avoidable hospitalizations for dual-eligibles could save millions

The authors identified five conditions—pneumonia, congestive heart failure, urinary tract infection, dehydration and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma—that were responsible for more than three-quarters of the potentially avoidable hospitalizations. Read More »

MDS 3.0: Processing the flurry of updates

AANAC’s Judi Kulus provides a roadmap through the maze of recent MDS 3.0 updates and errata releases, while pointing out some potential pitfalls in handling resident interviews, assessments, file error correction and queries to CMS. Read More »