Brett Bakshis

Admins hit $93,000 while DONs surpass the $81,000 level

Providers caring for both long- and short-stay nursing home residents saw improvements in rates of pressure sores over most of the last decade, according to a recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The percentage of short-stay nursing home residents with pressure sores fell from 22.6% in 2000 to 18.9% in 2008, according to findings from the AHRQ report.

Thorough hand washing with soap and running water is a more proven method of preventing transmission of the norovirus than using alcohol-based and other hand sanitizing methods, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Advanced technological approaches to treating venous leg ulcers are no match for good quality nursing care and perhaps a few good jokes, new research suggests.

A new rule authorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act sharply amends the notification-of-closure period for nursing homes, and significantly increases the stakes for potential penalties for administrators.

House Republicans recently moved one step closer to passing a key tort reform bill. Following an 18-15 vote in the House Judiciary Committee, the "Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act," went to the full House for consideration.

More than nine out of 10 nursing homes in the United States have at least one convicted criminal on staff, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The OIG recommends developing procedures to help implement a nationwide criminal background check program.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in a controversial case that could allow states to significantly reduce Medicaid payments to long-term care operators—and leave providers all but powerless to stop them.

As budget shortfalls continue to hammer states, many governors have begun to explore the possibility of dropping Medicaid patients from state rolls through the use of Medicaid waivers.

The National Labor Relations Board is threatening to sue four states over constitutional amendments that guarantee workers can use secret ballots in union elections.