Another state is putting limits on the numbers of hours nurses have to work. New York Gov. David Paterson (D) recently signed legislation banning mandatory overtime for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The aging baby boomer population will strain long-term care resources, including the direct-caregiver workforce, according to Better Jobs Better Care. A new report from the research initiative offers an in-depth analysis of this critical caregiver population, and how to recruit and retain them.

Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) are urging Congress to pass the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act, which would provide funding to all 50 states to help create a nationwide infrastructure of background checks in the long-term care field.

Nursing-home providers this week expressed approval for legislation recently approved by a House committee that would increase the number of foreign-educated nurses in the U.S.

A new bill introduced in Congress this week would help small businesses, including independent nursing homes and other healthcare providers, form health insurance cooperatives to provide their employees with affordable health insurance.

Redesigning the regulatory survey of nursing homes would help determine how far current resources can be stretched to improve quality, according to a panelist who participated in a long-term care reform conference held on Friday.

Workplace bullying and intimidation run rampant in America's hospitals and nursing homes, leading to preventable medical errors, increased cost of care and poor resident satisfaction. The Joint Commission wants to combat this behavior and has unveiled a plan to reduce disruptive attitudes in all healthcare settings.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday sent to committee a measure that would further encourage the use of health information technology in all provider settings, including nursing homes.

Massachusetts may become the first state to require all newly constructed hospitals and nursing homes to be environmentally friendly, according to a news report.

Senators may have to reconcile two separate bills that would delay payment cuts to physicians.