Five months after ProMedica acquired HCR ManorCare, the Ohio hospital system’s debt has ballooned. ProMedica’s long-term debts have more than quadrupled since the deal, reaching $1.9 billion at the...
Money woes keep mounting for troubled Skyline chain
By
Marty Stempniak
Jun 06, 2019
Five Massachusetts skilled nursing facilities run by embattled Skyline Healthcare closed in May, as the operator faced ongoing inability to pay bills. The state’s Department of Public Health revealed...
MA no bargain, study says
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 06, 2019
Benefits of Medicare Advantage plans may be overhyped, according to Kaiser Family Foundation study results that showed that participants flipping to private plans were already using fewer services. ...
Verma: Some alternative pay models should be mandated
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 06, 2019
Making new Medicare payment models mandatory is crucial to avoid “selection effects,” where only providers who benefit financially from a model participate, reducing potential savings, said Medicare...
Ask The Payment Expert
By
Caryn Adams
Jun 06, 2019
My April Five-Star rating is different from what I expected. Why? In March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services posted changes to the Five-Star calculation methods that affected ratings beginning...
‘Telementoring’ boosts SNF caregiving and its processes
By
Amy Novotney
Jun 06, 2019
Remote coaching by academic medical experts can improve geriatrics expertise among skilled nursing employees, a University of Chicago study has found. SNF caregivers often lack the needed background...
Violence against workers ‘normal’ in LTC
By
Amy Novotney
Jun 06, 2019
Violence against staff working in long-term care facilities — including physical assault, verbal abuse and sexual harassment — has become “normalized,” according to a study by Canadian researchers....
Oregon, Minnesota regarded best for nursing workplaces
By
Amy Novotney
Jun 06, 2019
BOregon and Minnesota top the list of best states for nurses, according to a report released in April by WalletHub. The personal finance website ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia based...
Study links obesity, learning and memory
By
Colleen DeHart
Jun 06, 2019
New research shows that obesity and insulin resistance can break down the protective blood-brain barrier, resulting in problems with learning and memory. Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at...
Test helps predict returns to hospital after heart attack
By
Colleen DeHart
Jun 06, 2019
A quick test performed before elderly heart attack patients leave the hospital can help predict whether they may need to be readmitted within 30 days, researchers found. The Timed Up and Go test evaluates...