The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is proposing changes to payment rules under the SNF prospective payment system, a wage index update, and a Change in Therapy assessment policy update. June 30 is the last day to comment. Read More »
Several former government officials and policy experts are coming together in an effort to find a way to improve the financing and delivery of long-term services and supports for the country’s aging population and working-aged people with disabilities. Read More »
The accountable care organization model is presenting organizational accountability challenges to Medicare, according to a new study and related commentary, which suggest a solution, too. Read More »
Organizations serving those working in the long-term care industry are offering praise for the efforts of Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as she resigns, and they also are looking to the future. Read More »
Leaders in organizations representing long-term care providers expressed satisfaction with some parts of the proposed law but disappointment with others in this Long-Term Living exclusive. Read More »
Documentation and other paperwork are part of a nurse’s daily routine. It takes a toll on the personal quality of resident/nurse relationships, however. Read More »
A funny man is tackling an unfunny disease. Seth Rogen's Senate committee testimony and charitable efforts—and their after-effects—are helping to bring attention to Alzheimer's and the need for more research funding. Read More »
Hospice patients could receive curative care as well as palliative care under a new payment model to be tested by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Here’s how the program would work. Read More »
If a prospective resident were to ask you about the tax deductibility of long-term care insurance premiums, would you know what to tell him or her? Read More »
The agency will seek additional input before implementing several controversial proposals affecting the Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D prescription drug program. Read More »
An organization focusing on medical directors in long-term care has changed its name to include post-acute care and will extend full membership to some non-physicians. Read More »
Members of Maine’s legislature are considering the recommendations of its Long-Term Care Facilities Study Commission as the state grapples with how to pay for the care of its aging population. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is eyeing variations in treatments for those in post-acute care settings with similar medical conditions in an effort to mitigate negative clinical and financial effects. The scrutiny is call to action for LT/PAC operators. 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 »
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 »
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 »
