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Hospitals

Fitch sees a shadow: One more tough year for nonprofits

February 02, 2010

Fitch Ratings, an international long-term credit rating agency, has disclosed that it will maintain its "negative outlook" for U.S. nonprofit hospitals and health systems during 2010.

CMS: Demonstration project to reward nursing homes that provide high-quality care

August 18, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Monday disclosed positive results from three-so-called pay-for-performance demonstrations at hospitals and physician practices. Now it wants to see if financial incentives also will help nursing homes improve or deliver high-quality care.

Study confirms cost benefits of Guided Care for seniors with chronic conditions

August 07, 2009

Guided Care programs significantly reduce the number of days seniors with chronic conditions spend in hospitals and nursing homes. The also can save billions of dollars in healthcare costs each year, according to a new study.

Effective delirium treatments continue to elude researchers

July 10, 2009

Delirium during hospitalization affects up to seven million adults every year, increases the likelihood of needing post-acute or nursing home care and doubles a patient's risk of death. And, according to a new study, there is no way to prevent or treat it.

Doctors warn: Non-payment for patient falls could lead to increased use of restraints

June 05, 2009

New regulations that stop payments to hospitals for treatment after potentially preventable patient falls could backfire, leading instead to increased use of restraints, a Harvard Medical School physician and colleagues are warning.

CMS proposes delay of Medicaid provider-tax rule

June 01, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed delaying until July 1, 2010, the enforcement of a Medicaid rule that would limit the use of provider taxes.

Healthcare groups commit to cutting costs; Minnix reiterates need to talk about long-term care

May 12, 2009

Major healthcare providers pledged Monday to reduce cost increases by $2 trillion over the next decade. In response, one long-term care association issued a statement about the importance of including long-term care in any discussion about healthcare reform.

Eat, drink and make merry: Social interaction increases food intake among hospitalized seniors, study finds

May 06, 2009

Social interaction between hospitalized seniors at mealtime has a direct correlation to the amount of food they typically eat, suggests a new study.

Long-term care organizations praise CMS post-acute pilot project

April 15, 2009

Many in the long-term care community are supporting the Care Transitions Project, a government initiative to improve healthcare processes and minimize rehospitalizations.

CMS discloses new post-acute initiative to prevent rehospitalizations

April 14, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is beginning a new pilot program to help ease the adjustment from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility or home. The purpose is to prevent hospital readmissions.

Economic crisis eases nursing shortage--but relief seen as temporary

April 08, 2009

Recent reports indicate that the current economic crisis has temporarily alleviated the nationwide nursing shortage.

Study: Expectations, motivation may affect post-hospitalization mobility for seniors

April 08, 2009

Seniors hospitalized for illness experience greater functional decline than surgical patients. The difference could be a function of expectations and personal motivation, a recent study suggests.

Study: Rehospitalizations--some of which are preventable--cost billions

April 03, 2009

More than 50% of Medicare patients are rehospitalized within 12 months of discharge and 20% wind up back in the hospital after only 30 days. That adds up, according to a report published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Growing number of younger, mentally ill nursing home residents poses safety risks, news outlet reports

March 24, 2009

The number of younger, mentally ill nursing home patients has been on the rise in recent years. This influx of potentially aggressive residents is creating some serious safety concerns, The Associated Press reported.

Study: MRSA infections fall by 50% in 10 years among ICU patients on IVs

February 19, 2009

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections among hospital intensive care unit (ICU) patients with intravenous tubes dropped by about 50% between 1997 and 2007, according to a new report.

Nursing groups dispute grim patient-ratio findings

February 18, 2009

Landmark California regulations that govern nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals appear to have little to no effect on the quality of patient care, according to new survey results. But many nurses disagree with the findings.

Deposed union leaders stage California healthcare coup

February 04, 2009

The recently ousted leaders of United Healthcare Workers West, an Oakland, CA-based Service Employees International Union local, have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to allow workers to reject SEIU membership and join a newly created union.

CDC: Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter may be on the decline

January 28, 2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Monday said the current salmonella outbreak tied to a Georgia peanut butter manufacturer appears to be reaching its end.

Hollywood nursing home for stars to close amidst financial turmoil

January 16, 2009

The Motion Picture & Television Fund, which helps provide healthcare services for Hollywood's on-screen and off-screen talent, will be shutting the doors of its nursing home and hospital, the organization announced this week.

Peanut butter brand recalled after seniors sickened in Minnesota facility

January 13, 2009

A brand of peanut butter is being recalled nationally after an open container tested positive for salmonella bacteria in a Minnesota senior care facility.

Medicare payments to nursing facilities may stay same in FY 2010

December 08, 2008

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) may recommend to Congress that skilled nursing facilities not receive a Medicare payment update in fiscal year 2010.

Pressure ulcer hospitalizations skyrocket

December 05, 2008

Hospitalization rates as a result of pressure ulcers have risen dramatically over the last 15 years, according to a report from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

CMS expert: Economic crisis could bankrupt Part A in eight years

December 03, 2008

Healthcare officials in recent years have projected that the Medicare Part A trust fund would become insolvent by 2019. Now some are saying that the program could run out of money even sooner as a result of the economic downturn.

C. difficile more widespread in hospitals, APIC finds

November 12, 2008

More hospital patients have Clostridium difficile than previously thought, according to a new study by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Nursing homes lead healthcare field in use of electronic health records

November 10, 2008

A new report shows that, when it comes to adopting electronic health records, nursing homes around the country are leading the charge in healthcare.

Kindred posts loss in third quarter on poor hospital results

November 03, 2008

Kindred Healthcare Inc. widened its loss in the third quarter to $21 million or $0.56 per share, while revenues grew by a slight 1%.

Pain management still lacking in hospitals, patients say

October 31, 2008

A recent nationwide survey of hospital patients finds room for improvement in the area of pain management.

Hospital IV therapy may drain Medicare Part D, news analysis finds

October 16, 2008

The Medicare Part D insurance plan may be wasting billions of dollars on intravenous drug treatments. Because it does not cover many of the drug-related costs of home-care treatment, patients have to go to the hospital, where Medicare ends up spending a lot more, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.

'Never event' Medicare reimbursement rules now in effect

October 02, 2008

As of this month, Medicare no longer is reimbursing healthcare facilities for "reasonably preventable" medical errors. Also, hospitals are not allowed to charge patients directly for medical care resulting from such errors.

HHS to release blueprint for reducing healthcare-associated infections

September 25, 2008

The Department of Health and Human Services expects to release a draft action plan regarding the reduction of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) before the next president takes office, the agency said this week.