Congress may give providers 2-year relief on CMS physician fee cuts
By
Joe Bush
Dec 01, 2022
Congress appears to be ready to soften proposed Medicare physician pay cuts and might make its aid good for two years instead of one.
State lawsuit targets nursing home owner Lahasky’s use of related parties, seeks repayment of $18 million-plus
By
Kimberly Marselas
Joe Bush
Dec 01, 2022
New York’s top prosecutor this week filed suit against a nursing home owner with a growing empire, accusing him and several co-owners of defrauding the government of more than $18 million while understaffing…
AG Rhodes’ transition to all-private rooms leading to a more patient-centered future
By
Joe Bush
Dec 01, 2022
Atlanta-area nonprofit nursing home operator AG Rhodes is fully pursuing the buzz of resident-centered care by transitioning its four sites to private rooms only.
Also in the News for Thursday, Dec. 1
By
Joe Bush
Dec 01, 2022
Lapsing state waivers creating telehealth hurdles … California nursing home to pay $2.3 million for false claims and substandard resident care … Financial stress causing myriad challenges to healthcare…
Observation status overuse undercuts hospital readmission progress
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 30, 2022
Major strides in reducing hospital readmissions, an often-cited indicator of quality in both acute and post-acute settings, were actually overstated when taking into account the rising use of observation…
CMS memo puts workplace violence in surveyors’ crosshairs
By
Joe Bush
Nov 30, 2022
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a new memo reminding state surveyors of the importance of oversight of facility safety and security in the face of workplace violence,
Amid ProMedica ouster, advocates question new operator’s qualifications
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 30, 2022
Weeks after Welltower announced it plans to transition its ProMedica portfolio to a new operator, consumer advocates and mainstream media are questioning the track record of the selected firm.
Also in the News for Wednesday, Nov. 30
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 30, 2022
Ohio nursing homes seeking $600 million, and Republicans appear ready to deal … Citing destroyed video surveillance, judge finds nursing home negligent in choking case … HHS rule aims to improve care…
Opponents of the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers are pursuing two fresh pathways to defeat it. Both challenges cite the pandemic’s current, less critical stage…
Room for optimism, leader says, despite COVID-19 deaths, winter of uncertainty ahead
By
Joe Bush
Nov 29, 2022
Despite the rising proportion of COVID-19 deaths attributed to seniors and the uncertainty of what the winter months might bring, optimism found its way into Monday’s LeadingAge coronavirus update call.
Bill would bring equal pay and protections for agency nurses
By
Joe Bush
Nov 29, 2022
The first bill of its kind in the US would mandate that employers pay temporary workers, on average, as much as regular, direct-hire employees who do the same or similar work. The temp workers, who include…
Also in the News for Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022
By
Joe Bush
Nov 29, 2022
‘Superbug’ hitting Las Vegas area healthcare facilities … Increase in SARS-CoV-2 testing leads to decrease in cases … Bipartisan group of senators seeks to craft legislation benefiting dual eligibles…
After record penalties, providers can protect themselves from the DOJ with 3 priorities, experts say
By
Joe Bush
Nov 28, 2022
The Department of Justice is on pace to hand out a record $5.6 billion-plus in total fines and penalties under the False Claims Act this year, a clear indicator that the agency has removed the kid gloves…
With DONs in hot demand, providers act to broaden pipelines
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 28, 2022
Faced with unprecedented competition for registered nurses, skilled nursing providers are pulling out all the stops to recruit, up-train and retain what is arguably the most important clinical worker in…
$513,000 judgment continues DOL onslaught against nursing homes violating wage rules
By
Joe Bush
Nov 28, 2022
A “common and costly” error by two Pennsylvania nursing homes can be averted by other providers, said a Department of Labor investigator in the wake of a more than half-million-dollar judgment against…
Also in the News for Monday, Nov. 28, 2022
By
Joe Bush
Nov 28, 2022
Nursing home ‘SWAT’ team sent to troubled state-run facility … HRSA extends PRF reporting deadline … SNF that opened during pandemic registers zero COVID deaths … Hospital system that closed…
White House announces big nursing home COVID-19 vaccination push and providers push back
By
Joe Bush
Nov 23, 2022
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a six-week $475 million campaign to raise the COVID-19 vaccination rate among nursing home residents, and the sector’s leaders responded immediately with…
Provider advocates chafe at new law that forces continued employment after a facility’s sale
By
Joe Bush
Nov 23, 2022
Nursing home and other healthcare provider advocates are not pleased with a new New Jersey law that preserves employment for four months for workers whose facilities change ownership. Its unintended consequences…
Prioritize ventilation over masking, ‘realistic’ epidemiologist advises long-term care providers
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 23, 2022
Staying away from groups when sick and improved ventilation — but not masking — are the way forward at this point in the pandemic, a noted epidemiologist and COVID-19 advisor told a nursing home group…
Also in the News for Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022
By
Joe Bush
Nov 23, 2022
Nursing home staffing emergencies cost Massachusetts taxpayers $82 million … Senate Finance Committee Chairmen comment on HHS OIG report on nursing home psychotropics … AARP releases latest Public…
