The top stories from McKnight's Long-Term Care News, November 2012
Winning candidates had little time to enjoy November election victories, thanks to a looming $600 billion fiscal cliff.
Nursing homes are overcharging Medicare around $1.5 billion annually, a federal report released in mid-November asserts.
The national average annual charge for a private nursing home room rose to $90,520 this year, while semi-private rooms climbed to $81,030 and assisted living ...
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has recommended that Congress drop the annual allowable limits for Medicare Outpatient Part B payments by one-third. It would mean ...
With the November elections over, and with them the possibility of the Affordable Care Act's demise, providers likely are girding for more fights over reimbursement ...
Nursing home residents with dementia may benefit by staying on the antipsychotic drug Risperdal, a study finds.
As lawmakers try to get "on message" about the looming fiscal cliff, the American Health Care Association sent a message of its own.
A major hospital group has called for a federal investigation into mistakes made by recovery audit contractors.
It could be months before New York and New Jersey long-term care facilities and their residents fully recover from the double whammy of Hurricane Sandy ...
As the threat of infectious diseases continues to permeate the long-term care environment, facilities need to use the best tools and resources at their disposal.
Acquiring new information technology systems is one thing. Making them work well among facility staff is another; experts give recommendations.
Q: CMS wants nursing homes to reduce antipsychotic use by 15% by the end of 2012. How's it looking?
No, you should not be surprised at all. Tetanus is caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani.
A new tool can allow physicians to predict which heart attack patients will likely end up back in the hospital.
This is a question that often surfaces, so it may be useful to review the definition, causes, recognition and treatment of "yeast infections."
Investigators have found that people who develop bedsores in a hospital were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days, stay at the hospital longer ...
Diabetes sufferers who also develop foot ulcers appear more likely to die prematurely, a new study warns. Investigators believe the findings highlight a potential need ...
I just took a position as director of nursing in a large facility with a high turnover of staff in the nursing department. Where would ...
Nurses who work long shifts are more likely to leave the profession, and also have dissatisfied patients, a new study has discovered.
A $15 million grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will allow more advance practice registered nurses to be in skilled nursing facilities ...
I recommend every facility that gets reimbursement from Medicare complete a Medicare audit annually. You want to look at yourself the same way the government ...
The Obama administration settled a lawsuit in November that opens the door for expanded skilled nursing care and rehab therapy for some individuals with chronic ...
The government's so-called "Money Follows the Person" program has had a disappointing start, officials announced recently.
We try to check out employee candidates as thoroughly as possible but the staffing environment around here is tough.
A nursing home resident who suffered a broken leg while being helped out of bed has presented sufficient evidence of negligence to earn another chance ...
A federal appeals court has upheld the government's leveling of Immediate Jeopardy level penalties at a Kentucky nursing home over allegations of resident sexual abuse.
There is some good news about the state of the senior living business: Senior living providers are operating with more strength financially than in recent ...
With open but secure spaces designed to heighten the senses, a new senior care community promotes dignity in memory care.
Beds are literally the biggest, and often most significant, item in a resident room. Consequently, integrating beds into room spaces requires a keen eye toward ...
Online learning has become particularly valuable for people like Sherry Johnson, RN, director of clinical development for UHS Pruitt.
Technology payoffs such as automation and electronic health records are allowing healthcare providers to better manage care and information.
I've driven up and down Oregon's Columbia River Gorge roughly 486 times, give or take a thousand, for the past three decades.
People with schizophrenia are likely to live a longer life if they take antipsychotic drugs on schedule, avoid high doses, and see a mental health ...
Even with Medicare and Medicaid payment pressures, Kindred Healthcare's RehabCare contract therapy division is holding steady, the company announced at the end of October.
By the time December rolls around, it's safe to say many thoughts are toward finishing the year on a high note. Or for pragmatists and ...
As a first-year social worker, Roxanne Galloway often lay awake worrying about her future.
