The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) tell Congress to stop eyeing Medicaid tax rates as rescue funds for student loans. Read More »
The Obama Administration seems determined to keep patients in their community settings and out of nursing homes for as long as possible. Obviously that will mean fewer admissions to long-term care facilities, so those facilities must be thinking of ways to adapt in order to remain viable. Read More »
Experts at this week’s International Society of Advance Care Planning & End of Life Care conference discuss medical ethics, caregiver responsibilities, and a culture of avoidance when it comes to end-of-life care decisions. Read More »
The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) conference, held earlier this month in Dallas presented this observer a close-up look at the critical issues and opportunities facing a senior living sector in transition. Read More »
CMS announces a new partnership initiative to combat the improper use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes. Through better reporting and data sharing, the partnership vows to cut the use of antipsychotics in nursing homes by 15 percent before the end of this year. Read More »
Diaz urged the committee to consider the impact of additional payment cuts—including the impending 2 percent sequestration cut to Medicare payments beginning in January 2013 and continuing for 10 years—on LTC's ability to continue innovation pilots. Read More »
A newly released book, “The Power of Ten—2011-2013: Nurse Leaders Address the Profession’s 10 Most Pressing Issues,” takes on hot button topics, with input from more than 30 international nurse leaders. Read More »
When assisted living is no longer the appropriate care setting for an individual, a “move out” may be necessary. Regulations regarding resident eviction reasons and notifications vary from state to state. Read More »
Interconnectivity and transitions of care are as important to LTPAC providers as they are good for patient coordination of care. Remember, the end objective is an integrated, dynamic, longitudinal, person-centric electronic healthcare record. Read More »
By the end of business today, LeadingAge members will have tallied upwards of 270 congressional meetings, with representatives of 43 states in a single afternoon. Their goal is to advocate for those issues that most directly impact their organizations, residents, clients and staff. Read More »
The Affordable Care Act is projected to save Medicare more than $200 billion through 2016, according to The Medicare Trustees Report. But beyond 2024, Medicare’s solvency is in doubt. Read More »
A report issued by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius credits the Medicare competitive bidding program for saving $202 million for people on Medicare who require durable medical equipment. Read More »
Delayed hospital discharges mean potentially fewer acute patients and fewer days for the resident in the nursing home. But these are primarily revenue and business issues, so what are the legal issues for the nursing homes? Read More »
More than 1.1 million beneficiaries are receiving care from providers participating in Medicare shared savings initiatives. CMS says it is reviewing more than 150 applications from ACOs seeking to enter the program in July. Read More »
Hospital emergency rooms that cater to the elderly are drawing attention for their special features (artificial skylights, thicker mattresses, absence of noise and rushing residents) and, most interestingly, their lower rates of return visits. Read More »
Of the nearly 700 stoke patients studied, 18 percent were rehospitalized during the three months following discharge. Patients with better motor and cognitive abilities at rehabilitation discharge were less likely to be rehospitalized. Read More »
Senior living executives at Senior Living 100 shared ideas on new approaches to acuity adaptable spaces, models for differentiated care in assisted living and memory care, and innovative ways to appeal to consumers’ changing lifestyles and affinities. Read More »
Under the new healthcare law, the 15-member board would have had the authority to cut $575 billion from Medicare over 10 years through rationing and price controls. Read More »
Final rule implements provisions of the Affordable Care Act that terminated several eligibility categories for Medicaid in favor of an income-based standard of 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Read More »
LTC providers should be as proactive and savvy as the American Medical Association when it comes to lobbying Congress by convincing residents to go to war for them when necessary. Read More »
The bipartisan bill would eliminate the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) from the Affordable Care Act. The bill will now go the House floor for a vote. Read More »
Between January 2006 and November 2011, Medistat Group Associates P.A. certified more Medicare beneficiaries for home health services and had more purported patients than any other medical practice in the United States, according to the indictment. Read More »
Telemedicine’s most promising benefit in the long-term care arena is the reduction of resident hospitalization and readmissions, yet its adoption faces reimbursement issues and other hurdles while standards and legal precedents have yet to evolve. Read More »
The executives surveyed said their organizations do not have a comprehensive understanding of the various CMS programs and their financial implications, even after publication of final rules. Read More »
The 32 participating organizations could save Medicare up to $1.1 billion over five years, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Read More »
Bob Gatty Now that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final and revised rule for accountable care organizations Read More »
