Republicans gain Senate control; McConnell puts ACA provisions in crosshairs
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 06, 2014
Congress will try to dismantle some parts of the Affordable Care Act now that the Republican Party has the majority of seats in both chambers, prospective Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)...
Ask the legal expert … how to avoid deadbeat families
By
John Durso
Nov 01, 2014
What’s the best way to prevent deadbeat families?
Expanded surveys will focus on staffing, MDS coding
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 04, 2014
Special surveys to determine Minimum Data Set coding accuracy and nursing home staffing levels will occur nationwide in 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in an Oct. 31 memorandum....
Also in the news for Nov. 4, 2014 . . .
Nov 04, 2014
Health center owner fined $43 million in nursing home patient recruiting scam … CMS defines “one-on-one” provider training … Men shorter than five-foot-five are 50% more likely...
Also in the news for Nov. 3, 2014 . . .
Nov 03, 2014
$37 million settlement makes Dignity the latest large hospital system to pay out for observation stay charges … Vibrating insoles could reduce falls among seniors … Audit shows 11,000 unresolved...
Proposed managed care rule could accelerate shift away from nursing home care, official suggests
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 30, 2014
Proposed regulations slated for early 2015 likely will affect how Medicaid managed care balances home- versus facility-based long-term care, news sources reported Wednesday.
Adjust residents’ hearing aids before they listen to music, researcher advises
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 30, 2014
Nursing home residents might get more enjoyment and therapeutic value out of music if they change hearing aid settings, recently published findings suggest.
Protein wafers help nursing home residents gain weight, fight pressure ulcers and diarrhea
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 29, 2014
Easy-to-chew protein wafers can help nursing home residents gain weight and reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers and diarrhea, according to findings recently published in Age and Ageing.
New hospice comparison tool uses government info, Washington Post calls for more transparency
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2014
In the absence of a hospice consumer guide from the government, The Washington Post has created one using available Medicare data. The newspaper unveiled the quality tool Sunday, in an article criticizing...
Judge approves $38 million settlement in ManorCare case
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 27, 2014
HCR ManorCare will pay $38 million under a legal settlement recently approved by a judge in West Virginia. The award to plaintiffs was originally $91 million until the state Supreme Court reduced it in...