With the need for states to rein in healthcare budgets, we are seeing a rapid move toward managed long-term care in states across the country. These changes are forcing many LTC providers to adapt to a new healthcare environment. Read More »
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 »
Last spring (May 2011), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a report titled, "Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims for Elderly Nursing Home Residents." Here is what medical directors practicing in long-term care had to say about the appropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medications. Read More »
Cutting-edge organizations that are effectively meeting the challenges of caring for an aging population with acquired brain injuries are implementing strategies that promote good health and quality of life by actively engaging both mind and body. Read More »
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 »
With the federal government’s escalating war on healthcare fraud and abuse, long-term care operators are on high alert in their efforts to be compliant in documentation and reporting. A leading educator pounds home the need for documentation and compliance. Read More »
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 »
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 »
A basic strategy you should use to grow qualified referrals is targeting physicians for referral development. Consider these recent successes by clients employing this strategy. Read More »
A study shows how ApoE4 can unleash an excess of the protein cyclophilin A into the cardiovascular system, causing inflammation in atherosclerosis and other conditions. The study also found that ApoE4 makes it more likely for cyclophilin A to accumulate in cells that help maintain the blood-brain barrier, reducing blood to the brain and allowing toxic substances to infiltrate. Read More »
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 »
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 »
Throughout the country, select organizations have received CMS Innovation awards for projects that aim to improve healthcare and access to people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. Read More »
I am back to square one with shabby looking AFOs. I am going to contact my former orthotists for their input. But, I may have to go to a different orthotic company to get the braces I want. Read More »
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 »
Another bitter battle is brewing on Capitol Hill over how to prevent student loan interest rates from increasing from the current 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1, and believe it or not, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities may be asked to help pay the tab. Read More »
Although funding was approved in last year’s Ohio budget, Gov. John Kasich slashed bonuses to high-performing nursing homes by a line-item veto for the state’s midterm budget review. Read More »
Nursing homes that foster an environment in which workers feel they are valued contributors to a team of caregivers provide better care to their residents, according to a new study. Read More »
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 »
New research data shows that many Medicare recipients are prevented from transferring to skilled care based on their hospital admission status. Read More »
When it comes to building a team, forget corporate retreats and singing “Kumbaya” around the campfire. Here are five practical, easy-to-incorporate strategies you can use at your nursing stations starting today. 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 »
In my years as a med nurse, unit manager and DON I always enjoyed working with hospice. My experience was that they were also there for the resident and staff. That is why hospice belongs in long-term care. Let us help you help the resident. Let’s collaborate and share the load. How can we help you today? 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 »
Strong revenues may please corporate shareholders, but CMS data shows that many nursing homes are providing substandard care for residents. Read More »
A proposed amendment to pending legislation would require federal regulators to issue guidelines requiring nursing homes to get permission from patients or designated advocates before administering antipsychotics. 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 »
A new study indicates that private-pay nursing home residents are seeking assisted living or home- and community-based options. Without the subsidies provided by private-pay residents, nursing homes are left to rely on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Read More »
