The state of Florida this week announced new emergency preparedness rules for skilled nursing facilities, as officials continue to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. SNFs in the Sunshine State will now need to prove that they have enough fuel to power a backup generator for 96 hours, keeping ambient temperatures below 80 degrees for […]
It’s been a difficult week in the world of skilled nursing, with investigators still attempting to determine what went wrong at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills in Hollywood, Fla., where a lack of power in the wake of Hurricane Irma led to the deaths of eight residents. As of Friday morning, about 50 of […]
Skilled nursing operators were already focused on emergency preparations before the recent hurricanes, but following the deaths of eight SNF residents in the wake of Hurricane Irma, providers can expect harsh consequences if their plans don’t meet requirements. Local authorities are still sorting out what exactly went wrong at the 152-bed Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills […]
President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program may trim the number of workers available to the skilled nursing industry and worsen the industry’s ongoing labor difficulties. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on September 5 that the administration will end the Obama-era program that protects about 800,000 adults—usually […]
As the floodwaters left by two major hurricanes recede in Texas and Florida, skilled nursing operators across the U.S. are battening down the hatches before the emergency preparedness rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hits in November. And although the end goal is clear, the total costs aren’t always so easy […]
Officials in the state of Kansas frequently took skilled nursing facilities at their word when following up on plans to fix certain deficiencies — a violation of federal requirements for SNFs that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services only verified SNFs’ strategies to correct deficiencies 52% of the […]
Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, joined a growing chorus by questioning whether the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is doing enough to protect skilled nursing residents from abuse. In a letter penned last Friday, Grassley pressed CMS on “why it has failed to ensure that nursing home abuse and neglect cases are reported to law […]
Skilled nursing facilities are in for a short-term reprieve if a proposal to reduce some bundled payments by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is finalized, according to a recent Fitch Ratings report. CMS proposed reducing some bundled payment models and canceling mandatory programs yet to be implemented. The move, while largely unsurprising given the current […]
The past week has brought countless stories of devastation and survival at nursing homes in Texas and Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, including dramatic footage of the Louisiana National Guard evacuating a nursing home in Orange, Texas and the widely-shared image of residents awaiting aid at a flooded assisted living facility in Dickinson, […]
Last December, the state of New Jersey made waves in the elder care industry by announcing its “Safe Care Cam” program, allowing relatives to rent surveillance cameras from the state. Initially intended for use in private houses to monitor home health and care aides, the program abruptly expanded this spring to include skilled nursing facilities, […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs took a step toward improving access to skilled nursing care in rural areas, announcing the development of new rules that would encourage the construction of State Veterans Homes in underserved regions. Under updated grant regulations, the VA would incorporate demand for long-term care in rural areas as part of its […]
With three years of data for accountable care organizations (ACOs), the shared savings program from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has demonstrated the potential to cut down on care costs. And the savings are frequently coming from skilled nursing facility (SNF) care, according to a recent report from the Office of Inspector General […]
Abuses at skilled nursing facilities frequently go unreported, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determined in a new report that also accused the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of not doing enough to protect residents. HHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reviewed the emergency room records for 134 Medicare beneficiaries with any […]
While some of the nation’s ongoing long-term care issues have flown under the radar, the opioid epidemic has garnered significant media attention, particularly during the last presidential campaign. In this article from Kaiser Health News, reporter Melissa Bailey explores the intersection between these two ongoing American health care storylines, detailing how hospice providers struggle to determine whether […]
The skilled nursing industry cheered earlier this year when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it would reverse course on a plan to ban arbitration agreements between SNF operators and residents. But as the public learns more about the issue, the backlash has been harsh — and national publications are taking […]
A storm has been brewing on the horizon for some time now. As a new emergency preparedness rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approaches, skilled nursing providers are trying to make sure they’re protected from the flood of new regulations. Under the rule, which was first introduced in 2013 and finalized […]
The last five days were dominated by a pair of major real estate investment trust (REIT) dramas — Sabra Healthcare REIT, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: SBRA) successful shareholder vote to acquire Care Capital Properties (NYSE: CCP), and Quality Care Properties’ (NYSE: QCP) decision to seek receivership for the struggling HCR ManorCare’s facilities. But much more happened in […]
For skilled nursing providers looking for ways to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, taking on advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) could be the way forward. That’s according to Marilyn Rantz, professor of nursing for Missouri University’s Sinclair School of Nursing. In 2012, the nursing school received almost $15 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for an initiative aimed […]
Last year, a federal judge ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to clear a growing Medicare appeals backlog by 2021. But an appellate judge last week overturned the order, claiming that the lower court didn’t fully consider whether such a project would even be possible under current law. The U.S. Court of […]
The state of New Jersey took an added step to regulate elder care provided in institutional settings, recently implementing a new law that holds care providers to stricter reporting guidelines. Sponsored by Republican State Sen. James Holzapfel, “Peggy’s Law” requires any caretaker, social worker, physician, registered or licensed practical nurse, or other professional to immediately report suspected […]
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