June 10, 2013
Dual eligible managed care plans involved in an upcoming Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services demonstration project will need to submit data in a variety of areas, the agency explained in a draft statement last week.
June 10, 2013
Under a newly expanded Medicaid program option, states stand to reap billions of dollars in what amounts to free money. Much of this could go toward better resident care. But some governors can't help themselves and are acting stupid.
Personal care aide is the fastest growing occupation in the United States, yet training standards for PCAs are lax and inconsistent, according to a new report from the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute.
May 16, 2013
Whether you are an employee, resident, citizen or member of another group, you can learn from the lessons I've learned while exhaustively investigating a story about running and saving county nursing homes in America.
April 29, 2013
OK kids, time for an unannounced pop quiz. Here goes: How do Medicaid caps differ from New Coke, Sarbanes-Oxley and hands-free lawnmowers? The other three bad ideas were actually carried out
April 25, 2013
Americans don't like to think about their eventual long-term care needs and don't have a realistic understanding of how the long-term care system works, according to a poll released Wednesday. Given that other surveys have reported similar findings for years, the results show the public's consistent lack of knowledge about long-term care.
April 24, 2013
Regional authorities will decide whether to conduct full surveys of deemed long-term care providers that are cited for Immediate Jeopardy, according to recently revised guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
April 16, 2013
I was sympathetic when the Partnership for Sustainable Health Care called for a speedier shift away from fee-for-service last week — and I also thought about Purell. Yes, that Purell.
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April 01, 2013
A four-person review panel would have to approve civil malpractice lawsuits against long-term care providers before the claims could go to court, under a bill that recently passed the state senate in Kentucky.
April 01, 2013
States can and should exercise "wide discretion" in setting Medicaid payment rates, the White House said in a court brief supporting reimbursement cuts in California.
April 01, 2013
The federal government will pay 100% of the Medicaid costs for certain newly eligible beneficiaries under the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed in a final rule last Friday.
March 25, 2013
On a macro level, expanding Medicaid reimbursement for assisted living will result in higher demand across the board. Serving Medicaid residents is not for every assisted living provider, but may be very beneficial to some.
The country's long-term care financing system for consumers must be revamped within five years to meet the needs of aging baby boomers, according to The SCAN Foundation. In eight reports released Wednesday, the organization laid out policy recommendations for taking pressure off government programs while increasing the availability and affordability of long-term care financing for consumers.
Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) unveiled a proposed budget Wednesday, offering a plan that contrasts with the one offered earlier in the week by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).
March 13, 2013
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) submitted a proposed budget calling for large cuts to Medicaid and partial privatization of Medicare on Tuesday. The budget — which includes repealing the Affordable Care Act — would save the federal government $2.5 trillion in healthcare costs over the next decade, according to Ryan.
March 08, 2013
Ever wonder how much regard the White House has for long-term care operators? A brief filed last week makes the answer abundantly clear: very little.
March 01, 2013
With funding and philosophical challenges permeating their day-to-day operations, a dwindling number of county-run nursing homes find themselves at a perilous crossroads
Two former nurses' complaints about alleged substandard care and inappropriate billing resulted in $28.1 million in penalties being levied against the former owner of an Illinois nursing home. A federal jury assessed the penalties.
Timothy Bickmore, Ph.D., will address how computerized characters can provide support to providers during an upcoming free webinar. "Avatars in senior care settings" will begin at 1 p.m. ET on March 20. The presentation is part of the McKnight's Online Expo. Attendees will be able to earn up to five free NAB-approved continuing education credits. To register, visit www.mcknights.com/expo2013.
February 27, 2013
The White House said states can reduce Medicaid payments to long-term care operators and other healthcare providers in a court brief filed Monday.
February 26, 2013
Is it a nursing home ... or a prison? That sounds like a shady lawyer trolling for clients, but it's an urgent question for the residents of Rocky Hill, CT. And it may be a pressing question for communities across the country in the near future.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should press states to repay about $225 million in Medicaid overpayments accrued over a 10-year period, according to a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG).
February 19, 2013
The struggle to lower healthcare costs, especially Medicare and Medicaid, affects us all - from Congress to long-term providers to the very seniors we serve.
February 13, 2013
In a State of the Union address largely focused on jobs and the economy, President Obama challenged a divided Congress to avoid automatic funding cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, raise the minimum wage and relax immigration rules.
February 08, 2013
Many a provider broke out in cold sweats when the Family and Medical Leave Act was cobbled together two decades ago.
February 01, 2013
Nursing facilities have always faced an array of obligations in order to provide services to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, which can sometimes seem burdensome in comparison with other providers. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as the healthcare reform law, is yet another example of how nursing facilities remain a target - the notable new obligation is the mandatory compliance program requirement. Adoption and implementation of compliance programs has previously been voluntary, although encouraged.
February 01, 2013
Golden Living announced in January it reached a settlement totaling more than $613,000 with the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice and the state of Georgia.
Nursing homes could be hurt if the federal government lowers the Medicaid provider tax safe harbor threshold to reduce the national deficit, according to a January report from the Congressional Research Service.
January 28, 2013
Medicare spending should not be cut to reduce the national deficit, according to the majority of respondents ina recent national poll from the Harvard School of Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
January 23, 2013
Medicare and Medicaid funds could face steep cuts in the House of Representatives' 2014 budget. GOP congressional leaders have promised dramatic spending reductions to rally conservative support for a three-month extension of the nation's debt ceiling without the condition of spending cuts. With a debt ceiling extension approved, legislators likely would tackle sequestration cuts scheduled to take effect March 1.
