As resident falls are still a primary source of financial loss for long-term care providers, researchers and tech companies are continuing to develop and improve on tools that predict the risk of falls. The latest offering in clinical tools that predict falls is a risk prediction model aiming to identify residents of nursing homes at […]
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeks to implement health equity across the care continuum, nursing homes in disadvantaged neighborhoods continue to be staffed for fewer hours by clinical workers. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society compiled data from more than 12,000 nursing homes, finding the […]
While the Biden administration’s overprescription reform in nursing homes focuses mostly on antipsychotics, research has found that other disease treatments – including medication for type 2 diabetes – are overprescribed as well. About 40% of nursing home residents with type 2 diabetes were either overtreated or potentially overtreated, according to results published in the Journal […]
The value-based purchasing program (VBP) may not be offering sufficient incentives for nursing homes to improve, particularly for low-performing facilities in areas with underserved populations. Only 0.7% of poor-performing skilled nursing facilities were able to improve enough to avoid a financial penalty under VBP, a JAMA study found – the program didn’t “offer a viable […]
The vaccine is working, especially in places where it is needed the most, according to a new study. “The vaccine is associated with decreased spread of SARS-CoV-2 in both residents and staff at nursing homes as well as decreased deaths among residents,” the study, published last week in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, […]
For nursing home staff who are hesitant about taking a vaccine for COVID-19, data and information may not be the most effective way to address their concerns, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The report, published on March 25, used a series of 26 town hall meetings from […]
A group of researchers developed a plan for health systems to support skilled nursing facilities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a plan that drew on lessons learned from the first major outbreak in the U.S. — which also happened to occur inside a skilled nursing facility. The three-phase approach was published in the Journal of the […]
Post-acute residents in skilled nursing facilities with excellent quality ratings are much less likely to transition to long-term care (LTC) than those in lower-quality SNFs, according to a study published last week in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. “Individuals in SNFs with excellent quality ratings had 22% lower odds of transitioning to LTC […]
As skilled nursing faculties grapple with low reimbursement rates and thin margins, a new scoring system for patients could help them allocate already scarce resources. It could be a useful tool as SNFs prepare for the SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program, under which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will withhold 2% of […]
Limiting out-of-pocket costs for skilled nursing services under Medicare Advantage plans doesn’t appear to affect the use of SNF services. Specifically, when a team of researchers compared MA plans with mandatory cost-sharing reductions and those without, they found little difference in the use of SNFs. The findings, published online on March 12 in the Journal […]
Emergency departments could play a key role in care transitions for older patients and lead to overall Medicare savings, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. More generally, focusing on seniors in the ED could also lead to better relationships between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. “The emergency department is […]
The broad majority of antipsychotic prescriptions are initiated in nursing homes, but almost 20% were initiated in hospitals and many were continued from other settings, according to a new study published online this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The results suggest that antipsychotic treatment needs to be assessed after transitions of […]
After suffering a stroke, men without a caregiver were more likely to end up in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) than those with more help, according to a new study published in the Oct. 26 edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Within five years of a stroke, 21.3% of the study’s 560 participants were […]
Hospital patients only have a limited window of time to select a skilled nursing facility at discharge, and hospitals are increasingly looking at a few new metrics when deciding which SNFs to recommend. In particular, hospitals are watching staff turnover rates more and more — even for executive positions, Vivage Senior Living chief business development officer Nancy […]
When it comes to choices about health care, seniors should have as much information as possible to make educated decisions. Yet for the more than 20 percent of Medicare-using seniors who are admitted to skilled nursing facilities following a hospital stay, decisions have to be made quickly and with very limited information, according to a […]