Observation status should be eliminated as a way of categorizing hospital patients, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission proposed at a Nov. 6 meeting.
SNF bed prices are still soaring
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 01, 2014
Big-dollar deals in the seniors housing sector continue to drive up per-bed prices, according to the latest figures from Irving Levin Associates Inc.
Coding surveys to expand soon
By
Elizabeth Newman
Dec 01, 2014
Additional surveys to determine Minimum Data Set coding accuracy and nursing home staffing levels will occur in 2015 and should fix common problems, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced...
GOP leaders promise bills will be approved
By
John O'Connor
Dec 01, 2014
Republicans were able to retake control of the Senate, while adding to their margin in the U.S. House. Now comes the hard part: actually governing.
OIG identifies areas of scrutiny
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 01, 2014
Government investigators plan to release five reports on nursing home practices in 2015, according to the latest annual work plan from the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Providers beat goal for meds
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 01, 2014
Nursing home operators not only beat their goal of 15% reduction of long-stay residents receiving antipsychotic medications, they soared to an 18.8% cutback, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Shifts linked to memory loss
By
Elizabeth Newman
Dec 01, 2014
Staff on shift schedules might experience diminished memory and thinking skills, according to a new study.
Workers want better support after mistakes, survey finds
By
John O'Connor
Dec 01, 2014
Mistakes at nursing homes are more likely to trigger blame than a corrective response, many frontline workers asserted in a comprehensive survey.
MedPAC for equal post-acute payments?
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 01, 2014
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has drawn closer to formally recommending that skilled nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities receive equal reimbursement for more than a dozen...
60 seconds with … Carol Raphael
Dec 01, 2014
Q: You speak of how changing attitudes and demographics are creating “The New Aging.” What are some trends LTC providers should note?