May 01, 2013
Bully for provider groups pulling out the stops to draw attention to the ludicrous mishandling of "observation stay" designations by many hospitals. One prong of the plan is to have providers supply anecdotes about individuals hurt financially and emotionally by the practice.
A controversial "accounting of disclosures" provision of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act will probably not be finalized before the scheduled Jan. 1, 2014, deadline for compliance, according to a senior Department of Health and Human Services official.
December 19, 2012
A bill meant to provide relief for nursing home residents who need painkillers would create the possibility of huge penalties for healthcare practitioners and long-term care facilities, a top lobbyist warned yesterday.
December 17, 2012
Long-term care providers struck back quickly late last week after the chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee accused them of "gaming" the reimbursement system during a hearing on caring for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
November 26, 2012
We're hearing much out of Washington these days about the looming fiscal cliff. Assessments about its impact run the gamut from no big deal to very big deal. As is usually the case, the truth is probably somewhere in between
November 06, 2012
I imagine, no matter their political affiliation, there's one thing that vendors in long-term care and politician operatives can agree on: This fall has felt like a marathon. Only the well energized survive, as they either jumped to swing states, set up conference booth after conference booth, or, in the case of the American Health Care Association conference in Florida and LeadingAge Convention in Colorado, did both.
October 17, 2012
American HealthTech unveiled a redesigned order management system at the American Health Care Association show in Tampa, FL.
September 26, 2012
A new quality initiative program unveiled Wednesday targets off-label use of antipsychotics, hospital readmissions and staff turnover in assisted living communities.
September 11, 2012
Preserving Medicaid funding remains the top priority for the largest nursing home association in the United States as Congress heads back into session this week.
A long-term care group is urging regulators to continue work on fixing the "observation stay loophole" that makes it harder for Medicare beneficiaries to get nursing home care.
The American Health Care Association announced Thursday that it will employ a new, proprietary methodology for calculating case-mix adjusted hospitalization metrics for its members in its national Quality Initiative.
Federal officials need to provide clearer guidance and offer a more streamlined protocol for providers willing to self-disclose Medicare overpayments, a leading long-term care group says.
Two nursing homes in Wisconsin and Rhode Island have taken top honors in a national quality awards competition.
August 10, 2012
Proponents of a bill to cut out the "observation stay" Medicare loophole got a boost from a House of Representatives member Wednesday.
August 01, 2012
Key skilled nursing facility managers saw small salary increases in 2012, according to new figures released Tuesday. The raises signal slow, steady economic improvement, say organizers of the survey, the largest of its kind.
August 01, 2012
There's a great Randy Travis song that includes the line, "Since my phone still ain't ringing, I assume it still ain't you." How fitting for long-term care this week.
August 01, 2012
There's a great Randy Travis song that includes the line, "Since my phone still ain't ringing, I assume it still ain't you." How fitting for long-term care this week.
July 31, 2012
A top nursing home advocate touted the sector's job-generating successes and stressed the need to protect federal funding sources at a recent policy conference for Democratic governors.
July 19, 2012
A federal official defended government demonstration programs that coordinate care for dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in a Senate hearing Wednesday.
June 20, 2012
A provider group is taking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to task for improperly using Medicare audits as a means of curtailing high-intensity therapy in skilled nursing facilities.
American HealthTech and the American Health Care Association announced a partnership that will provide automated connectivity for mutual clients and members. With a touch of a button, clients using AHT's software can export clinical data into AHCA's LTC Trend Tracker. Teresa Chase, President and CEO of AHT, said: " When you couple outcomes reporting with LTC Trend Tracker, the power of data increases exponentially — as providers can compare and contrast competitive advantages among peers to hospitals. Armed with powerful internal and external peer review data, our mutual clients and members are well prepared for the outcomes-driven world of healthcare."
June 13, 2012
Lawmakers pushed U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder to work more expediently with the Drug Enforcement Agency to resolve delays in the dispensing of painkillers in nursing homes.
Medicaid spending increased 20% in fiscal 2012, representing the single largest portion of total state spending. This, combined with federally mandated Medicaid eligibility expansions, puts state budgets in a tight spot, a new national study reveals.
The American Health Care Association continued its assault Wednesday on a Republican proposal to use Medicaid provider assessments to offset subsidies to the Stafford student loan program.
June 05, 2012
It turns out McKnight's Editor Jim Berklan is psychic, or at least a well-read prognosticator of long-term care.
May 22, 2012
The quality of care in U.S. nursing homes is improving, according to newly released federal health data. In evaluating the scores of 15,000 skilled nursing facilities across the country, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found that the proportion of 4- and 5-Star centers has increased 4% and 4.1%, respectively.
A top nursing home group is hoping that a jump in state tax collections can help convince lawmakers to restore states' Medicaid budgets.
April 13, 2012
Healthcare analysts are proposing that Medicare providers, including nursing homes, could recoup millions of dollars if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act.
When home healthcare is used as the first post-acute care setting after a hospital stay, it was found to be the most cost-effective care setting, new research suggests.
Nursing home resident advocates applauded federal action on the issue of using antipsychotics to treat elderly nursing home residents with dementia.
