In a vote that surprised many veteran observers, the House overwhelmingly passed Medicare relief legislation Tuesday by a veto-proof vote of 355-59. Political leaders had expected a vote closer to a 50-50 split, or closer to party lines.

MedPAC's recent recommendations to revise the payment system for skilled nursing facilities drew praise Monday from the head of the largest nonprofit association for long-term care providers.

The Medicare advisory arm of Congress has issued recommendations for reforming the Medicare payment system, including the payment system for skilled nursing facilities.

A process that shields most nursing home residents from therapy payment caps is set to expire at the end of next month, federal regulators told providers Thursday during a special conference call. Officials with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also announced that new surveyor guidances covering nutrition and food handling would be issued in July or August.

A new device designed by student engineers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to aid cerebral palsy or stroke patients with physical therapy made its debut at the Florida Conference on Recent Advances in Robotics last week.

The government issued a proposed rule Thursday that would cut Medicare payments to nursing homes by $770 million, or 3.3%, for fiscal year 2009, to account for a forecasting error.

Rehab Road is the jewel of an Ohio facility's progressive therapy environment that helps prepare residents for their trip back home.

Is it a realistic care plan goal to heal a diabetic foot ulcer that has been present for two years?

Federal officials are now taking comments on a proposal that would implement the "60% Rule," which indirectly would decrease the flow of rehab patients to long-term care facilities.

Long-term care hospitals treated fewer short-stay patients from fiscal years 2003 to 2006 as a result of cuts in Medicare reimbursement, according to a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. But the agency questioned the appropriateness of some of the short-stay visits.