 |
| Aging US Driving Demand For Healthcare Workers. | Shobhana Chandra and Ilan Kolet |
Bloomberg Businessweek |
| Article Date: 2/2/2012 |
Bloomberg News (2/2, Chandra, Kolet) reports on the positive economic impact of a growing elderly population in the US, which, along with "rising health-care spending," is "driving demand for workers from nursing aides to surgeons. While the economy lost 7.5 million positions during the recession, health care expanded staff. Together with social assistance, it will add more than 5.6 million employees to become the largest job gainer by 2020, according to new projections released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics."
|
|
|
|
| Massachusetts Assisted Living Provider Installs Hearing Loop. | Kayleigh Karutis |
Provider |
| Article Date: 2/1/2012 |
Provider (February, 2012, Karutis) reports that this past June in Massachusetts, "EPOCH Assisted Living at Boylston Place in Chestnut Hill became the first such community in the state to install a technology growing rapidly in popularity: a hearing loop," a system that "involves a copper wire, called a loop, installed around the perimeter of a room. ... Residents with hearing aids enter the space and simply push a button on their own hearing device to pick up the loop's signal. Their hearing aid becomes a wireless, convenient, and personal amplification device, allowing them to hear clearly."
|
|
|
|
| House Votes To Repeal CLASS Act. | Paige Winfield Cunningham |
The Washington Times |
| Article Date: 2/1/2012 |
The Washington Times (2/2, Cunningham) reports, "The House voted Wednesday to repeal a part of President Obama's health care law deemed unsustainable by his own administration, sending the bill to the Senate, where Democrats have indicated they aren't ready to kill the long-term care program." Notably, "more than two dozen House Democrats broke party ranks to join Republicans in a 267-159 vote to repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act." The Times adds that "Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius effectively suspended the program last fall, conceding she couldn't find a way to make it pay for itself."
|
|
|
|
| CMS Publishing Hospital Infection Rates On Hospital Compare Website. | Margot Sanger-Katz |
NationalJournal |
| Article Date: 2/1/2012 |
The National Journal (2/2, Sanger-Katz, Subscription Publication) reports, "Patients concerned about their risk of getting sick during a hospital stay can now compare the rates of patients getting one deadly type of infection online," as "the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has published the infection rates on its Hospital Compare website, where the government already publishes data about patient satisfaction and some other types of medical errors in order to help consumers choose quality hospitals." According to the Journal, "the type of infection being tracked by CMS is central-line-associated infections, or CLABSIs, among patients in intensive care units. Central lines are catheters inserted deep into the body to deliver medicines and nutrition." |
|
|
|
| Clean Laundry Contributes To Quality Of Care At Long-Term Care Facilities. | Steve Kovacs |
Provider |
| Article Date: 2/1/2012 |
Provider (February 2012, Kovacs) reports on how clean laundry plays "an important role" in the quality of care at long-term care facilities. "Linens, towels, and garments washed in highly effective products that are also commonly used within the home can be comforting and reassuring to guests who may be dealing with serious health issues." In fact, "in a recent poll of more than 500 professionals working in long term care facilities across the country, 85 percent of those surveyed agreed that residents who are surrounded by familiar sensory experiences, such as softness or fragrances, say they feel more comfortable and at home in their living environment." |
|
|
|
| Care Centers Have Duty To Keep Closer Eye On Everyone, Des Moines Register Says. | |
Des Moines Register |
| Article Date: 2/1/2012 |
The Des Moines Register (2/1) editorialized, "Iowa lawmakers are considering legislation to ensure everyone knows when a convicted sex offender is living in a state-regulated facility," including nursing homes and assisted living facilities. However, "that isn't enough for some lawmakers. They say a special home for elderly and disabled sex offenders is needed." The Register instead suggests that "homes should carefully monitor all residents. That requires enough staff and paying special attention to anyone acting inappropriately, because an elderly person with dementia can do that, even with no history of such behavior." Instead of "targeting only those on a registry, care centers have a duty to keep a closer eye on everyone."
|
|
|
|
| House Approves Rule To Govern Debate On CLASS Repeal | Pete Kasperowicz |
The Hill |
| Article Date: 1/31/2012 |
The Hill (2/1, Kasperowicz) reports in its "Floor Action" blog, "The House on Tuesday evening approved a rule that will govern debate on a bill that would repeal an element in the 2010 healthcare establishing a voluntary long-term healthcare program that the Obama administration has admitted is not financially viable." Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) argued, "The CLASS Act was a budgetary gimmick introduced by congressional Democrats in the Obamacare bill to fit a 10-year budget score." According to Sessions, "These are the facts; the program is not viable and not sustainable." |
|
|
|
| AARP Concerned By HHS Proposal For Essential Health Benefits. | Julian Pecquet and Sam Baker |
The Hill |
| Article Date: 1/31/2012 |
The Hill (2/1, Pecquet, Baker) reports in its "Healthwatch" blog, "Tuesday was the deadline to submit public comments on Health and Human Services's proposal for essential health benefits. As a reminder, HHS punted the issue to the states and will let them choose a 'benchmark' policy that all plans in the state will have to match." Reviewing feedback received thus far, The Hill notes that AARP said, "We recognize some state flexibility may be desirable given the variation in state insurance markets," but "we are concerned the proposed approach could result in individuals getting substantially different benefits across the states -- and potentially inadequate benefits."
|
|
|
|
| Baby Boomers To Impact Senior Healthcare. | Katie Collins Brush News-Tribune Staff Writer |
The Fort Morgan Times |
| Article Date: 1/31/2012 |
The Fort Morgan (CO) Times (2/1, Collins) reports, "Just as the Baby Boomer generation's numbers made nationwide impacts on schools and on the work force in the past, so too will they influence the future of health care," and "their impact on senior health care will call for a redefinition of the industry, prompting changes on all levels from the government, to providers and patients." Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center CEO Barbara Bradshaw remarked, "Because Baby Boomers will be saying, as consumers, what they want and don't want, increased home care support will be vital so that we deliver the care they need in the place they call home."
|
|
|
|
| ACOs Said To Be Not Ready To Take Over US Healthcare Yet. | Posted by Sarah Kliff |
Washington Post |
| Article Date: 1/31/2012 |
In the Washington Post (2/1) "Ezra Klein's Wonkblog," Sarah Kliff discusses a New York Times opinion piece (1/31) by Zeke Emanuel and Jeffrey Liebman suggesting that "health insurance companies are going the way of the dinosaurs," with accountable care organizations taking over. Kliff disagrees, citing a Health Affairs study on "a handful of health-care systems' experience piloting a shared-savings model." The study found that "none of the three systems the researchers focused on were able to get the new payment model off the ground." Kliff concludes, "Accountable care organizations may be the future of American health care -- but also looks likely that the future isn't quite here yet." |
|
|
|
| New Calculations Show Increase In Adult Medicaid Participants In Pennsylvania. | Don Sapatkin |
Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Article Date: 1/26/2012 |
The Philadelphia Inquirer (1/26, Sapatkin) reports, "The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare's" increased "efforts over the summer to target waste, fraud, and abuse quickly bore fruit in the fall," as "adult Medicaid enrollment alone was down 109,000 through November." But new "calculations show a decline of just 6,000 participants for the same" time frame. According to the Inquirer, if last month's data are included, "enrollment is up by 23,000 since August -- a time when officials agree that tens of thousands of people lost benefits after overdue reviews found they were ineligible." |
| State/Province: Pennsylvania |
|
|
|
| AHCA CEO Says Policymakers Need To Discuss Healthcare Seriously. | Margaret Dick Tocknell |
HealthLeaders Media |
| Article Date: 1/25/2012 |
Health Leaders Media (1/26, Tocknell) reports a number of "comments about what was said or not said about healthcare in the State of the Union address." In particular, "Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living" said, "Our profession has made great strides, yet we are struggling to meet growing demand in the light of diminishing federal and state funding. ... That significant progress could all be put at risk if policymakers continue to avoid serious discussions centering on how we are reimbursed."
|
|
|
|
| Report: LTC Merger, Acquisition Spending Up In 2011. | |
McKnight's |
| Article Date: 1/25/2012 |
McKnight's Long Term Care News (1/26) reports, "Long-term care saw a significant jump in merger, acquisition and takeover activity in 2011, according to a new report" from Irving Levin Associates. The report indicates that "the dollar volume in LTC mergers and acquisitions jumped from $12.1 million in 2010 to $16.3 million in 2011."
|
|
|
|
| AHCA/NCAL Releases Assessment Of LTPAC Sector. | Patrick Connole |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 1/23/2012 |
"For the second straight year, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) released its own assessment of the LTPAC sector to coincide with the annual presidential report of the nation's standing. The AHCA/NCAL report offers positive news on the steps being taken by providers to fulfill the mission of giving high-quality care, but warns future advances are not a certainty without adequate reimbursement." Gov. Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive officer of AHCA/NCAL, remarked, "Our profession has made great strides, yet we are struggling to meet growing demand in the light of diminishing federal and state funding." |
|
|
|
| LTC Insurance May Not Be Beneficial For Everyone. | |
Washington Post |
| Article Date: 1/23/2012 |
In a Washington Post /Kaiser Health News (1/24, Mayer) column, Caroline E. Mayer writes, "The question of whether to get [long-term care (LTC)] insurance bedevils consumers and their advisers." According to Mayer, "Unlike medical insurance, it is intended primarily to cover people who need assistance with so-called activities of daily living - for example, the care of a dementia patient or someone recovering from a broken hip." In order "to determine if a long-term-care policy makes sense for you, it is important to understand how the coverage works and what's available." |
|
|
|
| Patient groups seek delay on ‘essential benefit’ rules | Sam Baker |
The Hill |
| Article Date: 1/12/2012 |
|
| State/Province: District of Columbia |
|
|
|
| Report Calls For Creation Of Integrated Care Model For Dual-Eligibles. | |
McKnights |
| Article Date: 1/12/2012 |
McKnight's Long Term Care News (1/13) reports on a study from the Association for Community Affiliated Plans, which recommends "the federal government and states should create an integrated care model for dual-eligible beneficiaries" in an effort "to promote coordination between Medicare and Medicaid services and to save money." Report authors Jane Hyatt Thorpe, J.D. and Katherine Jett Hayes, J.D. of George Washington University said that "under the plan, states could provide long-term care services in a managed care environment or with a limited pool of providers." |
|
|
|
| Bronze National Quality Award Winner Named Local Business Of The Year | |
Daily Record |
| Article Date: 1/11/2012 |
New Jersey's Daily Record (1/11) reports, "The Chelsea at Montville assisted living residence...has been named the 2011 Business of the Year by the Montville Township Chamber of Commerce." Last year, "the Chelsea was recognized as a recipient of the Bronze National Quality Award for its outstanding performance in the health care profession," which is awarded by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. That award "highlights facilities across the nation that have demonstrated their intention to pursue a rigorous quality improvement system." |
| State/Province: New Jersey |
|
|
|
| Long-term care insurance: Options remain after CLASS act scrapped | Jill Schlesinger, CFP, the Editor-at-Large |
Chicago Tribune |
| Article Date: 1/11/2012 |
|
| State/Province: Illinois |
|
|
|
| Iowa governor introduces LTC sex offender rule | |
McKnights |
| Article Date: 1/11/2012 |
McKnight's Long Term Care News (1/12) reports, "Iowa governor Terry Branstad (R) will ask the state legislature to require notification when sex offenders move into long-term care [LTC] facilities, he said Monday." The piece notes that the rule "would be enforced by the Department of Inspections and Appeals." |
| State/Province: Iowa |
|
|
|
| Andy Marso |
The Capital-Journal |
| Article Date: 1/11/2012 |
The Topeka Capital-Journal (1/13, Marso) reports that Kansas Senator Roger Reitz "ripped" a "proposal to switch state Medicaid to managed care plans." Reitz said "that in 50 years of practice he had never seen managed care plans work well and he's already worried about whether the Kansas plan will cover things like pain specialists and sleep apnea prevention." |
| State/Province: Kansas |
|
|
|
| House GOP probes for documents on NLRB appointments | Pete Kasperowicz |
The Hill |
| Article Date: 1/9/2012 |
The Hill (1/9, Kasperowicz) reported House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman Rep. John Kline (R-MN) "has put forward a formal request for all documents related to the three National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recess appointments that were made last week, a request Kline said is warranted because two of the three appointments did not go through a formal vetting process in Congress. 'The complete departure from and total disregard for normal policies governing the appointments of these individuals to the Board raises serious questions about their qualifications, background, and the future of the NLRB,' Kline wrote." The Hill notes that the President "made the controversial decision to appoint Terence Flynn, Sharon Block and Richard Griffin to the NLRB, even though Block and Griffin were nominated just weeks ago, in mid-December, and had not completed the vetting process as Flynn had." |
| State/Province: District of Columbia |
|
|
|
| Medicare To Pay For Behavioral Intervention For Obese Patients. | Jan Brogan |
The boston Glove |
| Article Date: 1/3/2012 |
The Boston Globe (1/3, Brogan) reports, "Last month, Medicare announced it would cover up to 20 sessions per year of intensive behavioral intervention for obese patients." This announcement being seen by some in the "wellness coaching industry" as a "foot in the door." They argue that "even though the Medicare decision currently specifies that the sessions be provided by a doctor or nurse practitioner...it is an invitation for everyone in the field -- including wellness coaches -- to test new protocols and submit data." |
|
|
|
| Many assisted living residents are Medicaid-dependent, government report says | McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living |
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living |
| Article Date: 12/21/2011 |
|
|
|
|
| A Piecemeal Approach to Health Law in States | Gardiner Harris, Reed Ableson & Robert Pear |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 12/20/2011 |
On Friday the Obama administration announced that each state will have the ability to pick from the benefits offered under the health care law offerings, signaling that the administration is working toward a gradualist approach in implementing the law as the 2012 election year approaches.
|
|
|
|
| Supreme Court to hear arguments in March on healthcare law | David G. Savage |
Los Angeles Times |
| Article Date: 12/19/2011 |
The justices schedule 5 1/2 hours of argument, the most for a case since the 1960s, a sign they see it as a landmark test of federal regulatory power.
|
|
|
|
| Feds Unveil First National Survey of ALF Facilities, Residents | Patrick Connole |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 12/19/2011 |
The “2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities” which was conducted by researchers at the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Center for Health Statistics is providing important new data and trend information on assisted living and residential care facilities. Among the findings, 19 percent of all RCF residents receive Medicaid and 43 percent of facilities house and least one Medicaid beneficiary.
|
|
|
|
| Loaded-Up Payroll Tax-Cut Bills Set to Collide in U.S. Congress | Steven Sloan and Richard Rubin |
Bloomberg |
| Article Date: 12/9/2011 |
While proposals by both Democratic and Republican House members have some similarities, the two parties still disagree on how a payroll tax holiday extension and a “doc fix” should be paid for. “At this moment, I don’t see the formula that gets 60 votes,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND). “I’m still hopeful that we will.”
|
|
|
|
| GOP bill would extend Medicare therapy caps exceptions process, delay physician pay cut for two years | McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
| Article Date: 12/9/2011 |
|
|
|
|
| Republicans Unveil Plan for Payroll Tax | Jennifer Steinhauer and Robert Pear |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 12/8/2011 |
On Thursday House Republicans announced they will move forward with a bill proposal that would make changes to entitlement programs and freeze federal worker pay in order to cover the cost of an extension of the payroll tax holiday. The bill would also include a “doc fix” measure and an oil pipeline opposed by President Obama.
|
|
|
|
| Health Care Law Changing Behavior | Kelly Kennedy |
USA Today |
| Article Date: 12/6/2011 |
Today the government will announce that 2.65 million Medicare recipients have saved more than $1.5 billion on their prescriptions this yearas a result of a provision of the health care law that put a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs for those in the doughnut hole."We're very pleased with the numbers," Jonathan Blum, director of the Center for Medicare, told USA TODAY. "We found the Part D premiums have also stayed constant, despite predictions that they would go up in 2012."
|
|
|
|
| Health Care Forecast | Joanne Kenen & David Nather |
Politico |
| Article Date: 12/5/2011 |
The year 2012 will be a big year in determining whether Obama’s health care law will move forward, be altered or virtually disappear. Influencing factors which will determine the law’s outcome include a Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the individual mandate and a presidential election.
|
|
|
|
| Young People Put Dent In Nursing Shortage | Julie Rovner |
NPR |
| Article Date: 12/5/2011 |
Economists from RAND Health and Dartmouth College and a nursing professor from Vanderbilt University have found a pronounced rise in the number of women between the ages of 23 and 26 who are choosing to go into nursing. "If these young nurses follow the same life-cycle employment patterns as those who preceded them... then they will be the largest cohort of registered nurses ever observed," the authors wrote. The findings could allay fears of an impending nursing shortage. |
|
|
|
| States face bleak economic forecast, report says | Michael A. Fletcher |
Washington Post/Bloomberg |
| Article Date: 11/29/2011 |
A report released on Tuesday by the National Governors Association indicates that Medicaid will place the largest budgetary burden on states due to the increase of applicants, decrease in federal funding and growing health care costs. When the health care law overhaul goes into effect in 2014, the states will be required to take on even more financial responsibilities.
|
| State/Province: District of Columbia |
|
|
|
| GOP Governors Hedge Bets On Health Insurance Exchanges | Julie Rovner |
NPR |
| Article Date: 11/29/2011 |
A new round of grants designed to assist states in setting up insurance marketplaces has been announced by the Obama administration. Thirteen states will receive these grants, seven of which are headed by GOP governors who are part of the multi-state lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of the very health care law from which the grants are coming from. It is likely that the governors who oppose the health care law are accepting the grants in order to have health exchanges in place should the Supreme Court rule the law is constitutional. |
|
|
|
| Associated Press, Washington Post |
Associated Press, Washington Post |
| Article Date: 11/29/2011 |
|
|
|
|
| States squirm over health exchanges | Jason Millman |
Politico |
| Article Date: 11/28/2011 |
The Supreme Court ruling on the new health care law is not anticipated to be announced until around the end of June, 2012, but states will be expected to have health exchanges ready for the Department of Health and Human Services to assess by that time. Some states have already set to work to get exchanges organized while others refuse to do so while the fate of the law still undecided. |
| State/Province: District of Columbia |
|
|
|
| Health care waivers nixed for Indiana, Louisiana | Jason Millman |
Politico |
| Article Date: 11/28/2011 |
Requests submitted by Indiana and Louisiana for waivers from the health law’s medical loss ratio which require insurers to spend 80 percent of premiums on medical care, have been denied by the Department of Health and Human Services. Earlier this year the HHS denied similar requests from Delaware and North Dakota. |
| State/Province: District of Columbia |
|
|
|
| It Could Be Old Age, or It Could Be Low B12 | Jane E. Brody |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 11/28/2011 |
A vitamin B12 deficiency can cause symptoms like incontinence, depression, memory loss, fatigue and low blood pressure. Vitamin B12 deficiency is easy to treat and can improve the quality of life for affected seniors. In some individuals B12 deficiencies have led to a misdiagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia. |
| State/Province: New York |
|
|
|
| Obama takes heat for correcting Medicaid loophole | McKnight's |
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
| Article Date: 11/22/2011 |
Newly-signed legislation, which changes the calculation for Medicaid eligibility to include Social Security benefits, has drawn fire from disability rights activists. The new formula could make it too hard for some disabled persons to get long-term care services covered by Medicaid, critics say.
|
|
|
|
| Providers react to super-committee's failure to reach debt deal | McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving, |
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving, |
| Article Date: 11/22/2011 |
According to American Health Care Association president and CEO, Gov. Mark Parkinson, in the aftermath of the supercommittee’s failure, the association is pushing a proposal designed to “reduce Medicare costs for post-acute care and encourage skilled nursing facilities to reduce $5 billion worth of hospital readmissions over 10 years.” Health Facilities Association of Maryland president Joseph DeMattos, Jr. weighed in saying that the committee’s failure was a “tremendous missed opportunity.” DeMattos went on to say that other possible plans have been presented in the past by the “Gang of Six” and other groups. “However, if taken in isolation, each of these packages included provisions that would hurt the future stability of quality long-term and rehabilitative care — for instance a balanced approach cannot be reached by cost shifting federal cuts to struggling state budgets,” DeMattos said.
|
|
|
|
| Panel Fails to Reach Deal on Plan for Deficit Reduction | Jennifer Steinhauer, Helene Cooper and Robert Pear |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 11/21/2011 |
Following the announcement by the congressional deficit-reduction supercommittee that their efforts to find $1.2 trillion in reductions had failed, President Obama made his own announcement. In a preemptive strike, Obama pledged to veto any future legislation seeking to side-step the automatic cuts set to go into place. The President also sad that $2.2 trillion would be cut from the budget “one way or another. . . There will be no easy off-ramps on this one.”
|
|
|
|
| Patrick Connole |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 11/21/2011 |
Neil Pruitt Jr., chairman and CEO of UHS-Pruitt Corp. and chairman of the American Health Care Association says that despite the failure of the deficit-reduction supercommittee and the federal and state reductions to reimbursement levels for providers, “quality” will remain the focus of the LTC industry. “I am so proud we’ve not sat back and instead are focused on our quality agenda,” said Pruitt.
|
|
|
|
| Health Leaders Prepare For Round Two Of Cuts | Marilyn Werber Serafiniand Mary Agnes Carey |
Kaiser Health News |
| Article Date: 11/20/2011 |
Regardless of whether Congress' super committee meets its deadline for finding ways to reduce the federal deficit, budget and policy experts are braced for Washington soon to face the painful task of finding more savings - and they anticipate that health spending will be at the top of the list.
Some health care leaders are already laying the groundwork to redirect the debate, to insure that effort doesn’t just shift spending from one part of the health care system to another federal program that provides coverage to about 48 million elderly and disabled people, which eats 15 percent of the federal budget. The proposals include cutting payments to medical providers, asking beneficiaries to pay more for their coverage, and increasing the eligibility age.
The health care interests who stand to take another hit in 2013 want to begin planning now. The current efforts are still informal and very low-key. But several pivotal health care leaders, most of whom have been through previous national health debates and cost-cutting campaigns together, say some of the recent efforts to reduce spending too often just transfer costs off the federal budget and instead slap them on individuals, insurers, doctors or hospitals.
|
|
|
|
| No insurance against price increases | Jackie Crosby |
Star Tribune |
| Article Date: 11/19/2011 |
Big jumps in the cost of long-term care policies lead to worries that many will skip coverage for nursing homes and old-age care.
As a result of rising medical care costs and poor returns on their investments, insurance companies have been steadily increasing premiums for long-term care insurance. In 2008 the average rate increase among insurance companies was 13 percent – in 2010 it was 40 percent.
|
|
|
|
| Supreme Court to hear case challenging health law | Adam Liptak |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 11/14/2011 |
Supreme Court Justices today agreed to hear appeals from the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, challenging the health care overhaul law. The court will decide whether the health care overhaul mandate is constitutional and whether, if it is not, how much of the balance of the law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, must fall along with it. Oral arguments are to be heard by March and a decision will be handed down in late June.
|
|
|
|
| Obama administration to announce effort to expand health-care workforce | Sarah Kliff |
The Washington Post |
| Article Date: 11/14/2011 |
The Obama administration is expected to announce Monday as much as $1 billion in funding to hire, train and deploy health-care workers, part of the White House’s broader “We Can’t Wait” agenda to bolster the economy after President Obama’s jobs bill stalled in Congress.
|
|
|
|
| House Democrats’ unity tested over CLASS Act repeal vote | Julian Pecquet |
The Hill’s Healthwatch |
| Article Date: 11/13/2011 |
When a vote on repeal of the CLASS Act comes up in the next week, House Democrats will face a dilemma. "It puts the Democrats in a very difficult position," Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), the bill's sponsor, told The Hill recently. "They have to decide whether they're going to do the fiscally responsible thing and repeal the program or support something that is fiscally irresponsible."
|
|
|
|
| Our nation’s veterans are a wealth of information | Angela Stringfellow |
SeniorHomes.com |
| Article Date: 11/11/2011 |
Veterans day, a time to honor those who have served our country, is a major celebratory event in long-term care facilities across the nation today. Jessica McKay, Public Affairs Manager for Ashby Ponds in Northern Virginia, reminds us that this is a great time to listen to veterans tell of their experiences, and to recognize the contribution and sacrifice these brave individuals have made for our country. She urges us to take a few moments today to thank the special veterans in our lives and invite them to share their stories.
|
|
|
|
| More NY courts to focus on medical malpractice | Michael Virtanen |
Associated Press, Long Island Press |
| Article Date: 11/11/2011 |
New York courts specializing in the state’s 4,000 medical malpractice cases filed each year have begun expanding following the success of a Bronx judge in settling cases early, cutting court backlogs and saving money.
“If you have a matter that needs to be resolved, getting compensation to the injured person in a timely fashion is important. We see it as a continued relationship with our patients. … OK, there’s an error, and we’re going to help deal with it,” said Suzanne Blundi, corporate counsel for NYC’s Health and Hositals Corp.
Earlier this year, Judge Pfau issued, and the Administrative Board of the Courts approved, new rules for the state trial courts on medical malpractice, calling for settlement conferences 45 days after court papers are filed indicating that the case is ready for trial.
|
|
|
|
| Medicaid briefing: Cuts now would hurt economy | Meg LaPorte |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 11/10/2011 |
Georgetown University law professor and former director of Medicaid for the CMS, Tim Westmoreland, spoke at a Thursday Hill briefing. In part, Westmoreland said that cutting Medicaid at this time would be like cutting FEMA during a disastrous storm. “Cutting Medicaid in the middle of a recession is anti-stimulus,” Westmoreland told listeners. “It’s exactly the wrong plan at exactly the wrong time. If anything,” Westmoreland continued, “now is the time to increase FMAP” [the federal matching rate for state Medicaid programs].
|
|
|
|
| Boomers’ aging casts light on geriatrics shortage | Matt Sedensky |
Associated Press, Boston Globe |
| Article Date: 11/5/2011 |
According to the American Geriatrics Society, only one geriatrician exists for every 2,600 people over the age of 74. This equates to a huge shortage of qualified specialists in this field. Geriatrician first-year fellowship spots are hard to fill and a contributing factor is that geriatricians generally make about a third of the annual salary of what other medical specialists make.
|
|
|
|
| $27.8 million later, Oregon shuts down the On the Move program | Diane Lund-Muzikant |
The Lund Report |
| Article Date: 11/3/2011 |
Oregon has shut down the On the Move program following a DOJ investigation found that the project’s manager had “knowingly and intentionally” failed to report accurate information to her supervisors.
Jim Carlson, executive director of the Oregon Health Care Association said, “I think state officials made the right decision in pulling the plug from the standpoint of bad outcomes for people who were enrolled, and it also didn’t appear to be a wise expenditure of taxpayer money. We had never thought the program was a good fit for Oregon because we have some of the lowest nursing home utilization in the country. There were never any clearly defined criteria on who was appropriate for the program and that ultimately contributed to the many poor outcomes -- not to mention the many providers and clients who felt misled.”
|
|
|
|
| Senate Aging Panel Discusses Assisted Living Quality Oversight | Patrick Connole |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 11/2/2011 |
At a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on Wednesday, entitled “Ensuring Quality and Oversight in Assisted Living,” testimony focused on recent newspaper reports that detailed violations in some Florida assisted living facilities.
A statement to the committee by the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) said, “The failure of Florida’s regulatory system to ensure quality care in several of the state’s assisted living facilities, as documented in a Miami Herald series and during today’s hearing, is unacceptable and must be addressed. While what occurred in Florida is unacceptable, similar regulatory failures are not happening in the vast majority of other states. NCAL believes that states are the appropriate government bodies to regulate assisted living and that state regulation and enforcement should be strong and adequately funded.”
NCAL said that many of the issues occurred in ALFs caring for people with mental health needs. “Policymakers need to ensure that people with mental health needs are placed in facilities that can meet their needs and that adequate resources are provided for their care,” NCAL added.
“We understand that this is a difficult issue to raise in these times of budget austerity, but adequate funding for Medicaid and other programs serving low-income elderly and people with disabilities simply must become a priority, both at the state and national levels,” NCAL said.
Details of the panel hearing are available here. |
|
|
|
| Deficit Panel Is Warned That It Must Not Fail and Is Urged to Compromise | Robert Pear |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 11/1/2011 |
On Tuesday four fiscal policy experts advised the congressional deficit reduction committee that they will have to adopt spending cuts and increase tax revenues if they are to be successful. Erskine B. Bowles, a co-chairman of the president’s fiscal commission said, “I am worried you’re going to fail — fail the country.” Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), co-chairman of the select committee said, “The focus on revenues is a diversion from the real source of the problem, and that is health care spending. Unless we fundamentally, structurally reform our health care programs, everything else we do is tinkering around the edges.” The AARP came under fire during the meeting for working to block Social Security and Medicare changes.
More on this story:
Bipartisan budget hawks to debt-cutting panel: Raise revenue, revamp health programs
By Associated Press, November 1
Budget veterans have advice for 'super committee'
Four experts urge the congressional deficit reduction panel to focus less on politics and more on the economic consequences of failure to reach agreement.By Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, November 2, 2011, 1:06 a.m.
|
|
|
|
| Obama tries to speed response to shortages in vital medicines | Gardiner Harris |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 10/31/2011 |
President Obama is signing an executive order on Monday targeted at resolving severe shortages of vital medicines. The F.D.A. will be instructed to ramp up reporting of potential shortages of a specific list of prescription drugs; speed reviews of drug production applications; and inform the Justice Department about possible instances of collusion or price gouging.
At least 180 crucial drugs have been in dangerously short supply this year, with prices of the available quantities rising as much as eightyfold.
Also on Monday, the administration will release two reports that claim the shortages have been caused by a dysfunctional marketplace.
|
|
|
|
| Iowa care pay system decried | Bill Shea |
The Messenger |
| Article Date: 10/28/2011 |
At a legislative forum at the Marian Home and Village yesterday, a group of Iowa long-term-care professionals told two lawmakers that the new centralized system for handling Medicaid applications is so slow that nursing homes are not getting reimbursements.
''We're having a horrible time with eligibility,'' said Steve Ackerson, the executive director of the Iowa Health Care Association and Iowa Center for Assisted Living.
''Everybody says nursing homes make so much money,'' he added. ''Nobody has any idea of all the costs that we eat on a daily basis.'' Ackerson said that nursing homes would even consider paying a fee to upgrade Medicaid’s new system in order to avoid the large gaps in payments that are currently plaguing the facilities.
In addition to asking the legislature to improve the Medicaid process, nursing homes are requesting recalculation of the base rates for Medicaid reimbursement. They also want families of Medicaid recipients to be allowed to pay for things like single-person rooms and want the legislature to continue to provide money for a nursing home replacement and renovation program.
|
|
|
|
| Vaccination is the Best Protection Against the Flu | CMS Provider Resource |
CMS Provider Resource |
| Article Date: 10/27/2011 |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging everyone 6 months of age and older to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu. The risks for complications, hospitalizations, and deaths from the flu are higher among individuals aged 65 years and older. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. And remember, vaccination is particularly important for healthcare workers, who may spread the flu to high-risk patients; don’t forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccination – Not the Flu.
Remember – The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug.
For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.aspand http://www.cms.gov/immunizations.
|
|
|
|
| Seniors Housing Extends Modest Recovery To Third Quarter | Patrick Connole |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 10/27/2011 |
The seniors housing average occupancy rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 88.1 percent in the third quarter of 2011, according to the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry’s (NIC’s) MAP service.
The occupancy rate for independent living properties averaged 87.9 percent, and the occupancy rate for assisted living properties averaged 88.6 percent in the third quarter, 1.0 and 1.1 percentage points, respectively, above their cyclical lows.
|
|
|
|
| Supercommittee GOP, Democrats swap offers | |
The Associated Press, New York Times. |
| Article Date: 10/26/2011 |
Congressional deficit-reduction committee Democrats introduced a proposal to the group on Tuesday which was followed within 24 hours by a Republican counter-proposal. Inside sources say the Dems proposal calls for $1.3 trillion in higher tax revenue as well as enough spending cuts to total $3 trillion over the next 10 years. The Republicans’ plan would include $500 billion in spending cuts from Medicare and $185 billion from Medicaid over a decade. Also included in the plan would be airport fees, public land sales and an increase in Medicare premiums. Sources say the division between the Republican and Democratic committee members is still clear, even after weeks of closed-door negotiations.
|
|
|
|
| States may lose big in jobs, funds if Medicaid cut | Joan Gralla |
By , Reuters |
| Article Date: 10/26/2011 |
On Wednesday, results of a study by the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems indicated that a 5 percent cut to Medicaid would cost U.S. states $14 billion and would put tens of thousands of people out of jobs. "Such a drastic reduction would stifle business activity and job creation in states already struggling through the recession," the association said.
|
|
|
|
| New Study Says Government Should Prepare for Contingencies in Medicaid Expansion | Huma Khan |
ABC News |
| Article Date: 10/26/2011 |
A new study published in Health Affairs shows that the federal government may have to spend an additional $58 billion on the Medicaid program annually once the enrollment requirements are changed under Obama’s health care law. "Our results indicate that policy makers should prepare to handle a broad range of contingencies in the Medicaid expansion under health reform," the report concluded. |
|
|
|
| GOP to pressure Obama to support repealing CLASS Act | Julian Pecquet |
The Hill’s Healthwatch |
| Article Date: 10/25/2011 |
At a Wednesday hearing by two Energy and Commerce panels, House Republicans will be drumming up support for a repeal of the CLASS Act. Assistant secretary for aging, Kathy Greenlee said in written testimony, "One of the main reasons we decided not to move forward with CLASS at this me is that we know no one would be hurt more if CLASS started and failed than the people who had paid into it and were counting on it the most. As prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars and the people we serve, we simply cannot let that happen."
Supporters are not giving up. Ted Kennedy’s son, Patrick, will address the panels in an attempt to resurrect the program championed by his father. |
|
|
|
| Still no relief in sight for long-term care | Gardiner Harris and Robert Pear |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 10/24/2011 |
Currently, only 3 percent of Americans have long-term care insurance. The CLASS Act “was designed to serve as a bridge between the affluent who can care for their own and the poor who get Medicaid,” said Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The program would have allowed people who voluntarily paid premiums for only five years to get benefits for life. For those who couldn’t afford more, there would be premiums of only $5 a month.
CMS chief actuary, Richard S. Foster, said in July 2009 that “36 years of actuarial experience lead me to believe that this program would collapse in short order and require significant federal subsidies to continue.”
Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said recently, “Everyone involved in the debate knew the proposal was impossible to deliver, and many of us said so.”
As Republicans continue their fight to repeal the entire health reform law, and Obama is focused on re-election, the White House has concluded that the Class Act, even a revised one, would have no chance of passing in the present Congress. |
|
|
|
| Informed patient: Advance directives cut unwanted hospitalizations | Laura Landro |
Health Blog, Wall Street Journal |
| Article Date: 10/24/2011 |
A new study published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found that orders about resuscitation written on POLST forms, signed by both patient and doctor, were honored 98% of the time, and orders to limit medical interventions were honored 91.1% of the time. About 24% of POLST orders were rewritten near the end of life to reflect a change of preferences, primarily for palliative care.
Started in Oregon almost 20 years ago, the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment forms are currently in use in about 14 states, and more are in development. |
|
|
|
| Social Security increase coming in 2012 | Stephen Ohlemacher |
Associated Press |
| Article Date: 10/19/2011 |
For the first time since 2009, there will be a Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3.6 percent beginning in January. |
|
|
|
| Obama’s long-term care plan in doubt | Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar |
Associated Press, Boston Globe |
| Article Date: 10/18/2011 |
The Congressional Budget Office issued a ruling on Monday that would allow the CLASS Act to be repealed, but the Obama administration has rejected that step. LeadingAge president, Larry Minnix said of the conflicting moves, "I feel like somebody just called me about how to do really good pet care after they shot my dog." Under the law, the government is required to certify that the CLASS Act can be solvent for at least 75 years, but unfortunately nobody has come up with a fail-proof way to make that happen. |
|
|
|
| Living lab sets up at a seniors residence | Shirley S. Wang |
Wall Street Journal |
| Article Date: 10/18/2011 |
Researchers have set up a "living lab" in the Charter House residential facility adjacent to the Mayo Clinic to test ways of keeping seniors healthier. |
|
|
|
| Deficit panel may need push, lawmakers say | Robert Pear |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 10/18/2011 |
People close to the 12-member congressional deficit-reduction committee say that with just five weeks to go the group is still far from an agreement. The panel, which is comprised of an even number of Democrats and Republicans, has remained stubbornly divided on party lines over such issues as entitlement programs and new taxes. Some lawmakers believe that if the group is to make headway, party leaders may have to step in to referee.
Although both sides want to simplify taxation of corporations, the issue is more complex than many panel members had realized. Many businesses are not subject to the corporate income tax, and instead report the income on their individual tax returns.
Senate GOP Calls For More Cuts To Medicare, Medicaid Spending
By Patrick Connole, Provider Magazine. October 18, 2011
Senate Finance Committee Republicans sent a 21-page list outlining their recommendations to the congressional deficit-reduction committee. The recommendations include overhauling the Medicare and Medicaid programs, tax changes, alterations to Social Security and doing away with the Affordable Care Act. A separate letter was sent by a coalition which includes the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and the American Hospital Association asking the deficit-reduction committee not to harm the Medicaid program and to avoid blending FMAPs into a single rate. |
|
|
|
| WA: Taking sides: Initiative 1163 | John Lovick, Cindi Laws |
HeraldNet.com |
| Article Date: 10/17/2011 |
Initiative Measure No. 1163 would reinstate more stringent requirements, such as background checks and training for long-term in-home care workers. The financial accountability and administrative expenses of the long-term in-home care programs would also be addressed. Read the arguments from either side of the issue by following the link above. |
|
|
|
| KS: Assisted living may no longer be option for Kansas | Brent D. Wistrom and Deb Gruver |
The Wichita Eagle |
| Article Date: 10/17/2011 |
Kansas has recently standardized reimbursement rates to facilities for certain services like meal preparation and assistance with bathing, reducing payments by an average of 14 percent. "There is going to be a significant access issue, and I don't think it's too far down the road," said Kansas Center for Assisted Living president, Cindy Luxem.
|
| State/Province: Kansas |
|
|
|
| What does the end of long-term care part mean for reform program? | Maggie Astor |
International Business Times |
| Article Date: 10/17/2011 |
The American Health Care Association strongly backed the creation of the CLASS Act and the inclusion of the act in the health care law. In a statement released Monday, AHCA president and CEO Mark Parkinson said President Obama "recognizes that a majority of seniors will require long-term care services at some point in their lives, and that our federal health care programs cannot afford to have current and future generations failing to prepare for this impending event. But now," Parkinson continued, "we are without a plan, and we cannot keep passing the buck." |
|
|
|
| LTC leaders get face time with GOP presidential hopefuls | Patrick Connole |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 10/13/2011 |
Before the start of the GOP debate on Wednesday evening, representatives of the sponsors, the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living and the New Hampshire Health Care Association, met with the candidates. John Poirier, president and chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Health Care Association was noted as saying, “How we attempt to shore up the deficit and turn around the economy will also affect how we care for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities, and hopefully the candidates will take this issue to heart as the campaign continues. Our goal is to ensure we can continue to provide access to the quality care our residents and patients deserve. We must educate these candidates and the public about the significance of health care, and particularly long term care.”
|
|
|
|
| Perry defends Texas malpractice limits | Sam Baker |
The Hill’s Healthwatch |
| Article Date: 10/13/2011 |
Public Citizen, a liberal advocacy group claims that Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s tort reform laws, passed in 2003, have harmed the state’s health care. Among their claims, the group says insurance premiums in Texas have risen faster than throughout the rest of the country, and the growth in the number of doctors in the state has not kept up with the growth of the population. Perry supporters disagree, saying that since tort reform was enacted, the number of doctors practicing in the state has exceeded population growth by 84 percent. Perry’s office also says that premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance have, in fact, grown more slowly than the national average. Texas’ tort reform law caps non-economic damages in malpractice suits at $250,000.
|
|
|
|
| Rivals target Mitt Romney at debate | Maeve Reston |
Los Angeles Times |
| Article Date: 10/12/2011 |
At the American Health Care Association and The National Center for Assisted Living-sponsored GOP debate which took place last night in New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dealt with an onslaught of criticism about the health care law he helped pass in his time as governor. Romney deflected the other candidates’ comparison of the Massachusetts health care plan to “Obamacare,” saying, "The truth is, our plan is different [from Obama's plan], and the people of Massachusetts, if they don't like it, they can get rid of it…. But I'm not running for governor of Massachusetts. I'm running for president of the United States. And as president, I will repeal Obamacare." Former Godfather’s Pizza executive Herman Cain also got his fare share of attention over his 9-9-9 plan in which he would change the country’s tax code to flat individual, corporate and national sales taxes of 9% across the board.
|
|
|
|
| Call to reduce unnecessary HUD senior housing inspections gets praise | John Yedinak |
Senior Housing News |
| Article Date: 10/12/2011 |
The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living have praised part of a U.S. House of Representatives Committee for Transportation Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill which would put limits on nursing facility inspections. The bill states that currently state and local health and safety codes can be not only duplicative, but at times contradictory. “The nursing home profession is one of the most regulated industries in the country,” said AHCA/NCAL President and CEO, Governor Mark Parkinson. “In these tough economic times, our profession is already suffering billions in Medicare and Medicaid cuts, and the cost burdens that come with these duplicative surveys add more to this difficulty. We applaud the committee for including language in its report to limit these surveys and thank Congressman Latham for his foresight in addressing this issue of excessive and unnecessary regulation.”
|
|
|
|
| Health insurers bid to take elderly poor out of U.S. plans | Alex Wayne |
Bloomberg News |
| Article Date: 10/12/2011 |
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) has told Congress that if health insurers were allowed to manage care for the nearly 9 million dual eligibles, the U.S. could save an estimated $125 billion over 10 years. Care for dual eligibles costs an average of twice as much as that for patients that receive only Medicare, and more than 50 percent of dual eligibles suffer from 5 or more chronic conditions.
|
|
|
|
| U.S. Assisted living model to be tried in China | Ruby De Luna |
NPR |
| Article Date: 10/11/2011 |
Serena Xie has been making the trip between Shanghai and Seattle as Cascade Healthcare works to fine tune its Chinese assisted-living model. Cascade Healthcare has partnered with Seattle-based Columbia Pacific and Emeritus Corporation to bring assisted living to China, a country which has historically put the care of its elderly in the hands of younger family members. With more Chinese working longer hours, the need for assisted living is growing. It goes without saying that care for Chinese elders will differ on many counts than care for Americans. Instead of Bingo, Mahjong will be offered, and the kitchen will serve up strictly Chinese foods. According to Xie, some things will bear similarities to the U.S. assisted living model, “Such as how they will be bathed. How the medications should be given to them. All these will be to the U.S. standards, which I think in China, at the moment, the facility that run by the government, they probably still need to do a better job,” Xie said.
|
|
|
|
| Dietary supplements risky for older women, study finds | Eryn Brown |
Los Angeles Times |
| Article Date: 10/10/2011 |
An increased risk of death is seen in those who took multivitamins, folic acid, iron and others. But it's unclear why.
A study led by a team from the University of Minnesota found higher mortality rates in older women who took multivitamins, vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, copper and especially iron. "This paper contributes to the growing amount of studies showing no benefits for supplement use in the prevention of chronic diseases," said study first author Jaakko Mursu, a postdoctoral researcher in nutrition at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. |
|
|
|
| Many in both parties want a window into the deficit reduction panel’s work | Robert Pear |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 10/10/2011 |
The one thing that many Republicans, Democrats, conservatives and liberals all seem to agree on is that the congressional deficit reduction committee is being too tight-lipped about their work. While this may irk some, there are others who believe this kind of secrecy may be necessary to prevent outside parties from picking apart, slowing or damaging the progress the congressional committee has made. |
|
|
|
| First Monday in October marks start of new Supreme Court term; justices to hear Medicaid case | AP, Washington Post |
The Associated Press, Washington Post |
| Article Date: 10/3/2011 |
As soon as the Supreme Court justices wade through appeals on over a thousand cases, they will begin hearing arguments on California’s plan to close the state budget gap by cutting Medicaid payments to providers by 10 percent. The Obama administration and California say that providers and Medicaid beneficiaries don’t have the right to go to federal court to block the cuts as that right is reserved for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. |
|
|
|
| FL: iPad helps elderly remember, socialize | Walter Pacheco |
The Orlando Sentinel |
| Article Date: 10/3/2011 |
Health Central Park in west Orange County FL has been using an Apple iPad 2 tablet to help Alzheimer’s and dementia patients improve their mobility, memory and social skills. “It came to us as a happy accident,” said the facility’s director, Judy Skilton. “What started out as one resident’s curiosity about … an iPhone turned into something that is helping them spell, track items, make choices and read words. It’s amazing.” LuMarie Polivka-West, president of Florida Health Care Association said of Health Central Park’s imprompteau experiment, “They are on the cutting edge of technology and geriatric care. We hope to encourage the use of this new technology.” |
|
|
|
| NJ: Officials Say Universal Transfer Form Will Improve Patient Safety | New Jersey Today |
New Jersey Today |
| Article Date: 10/3/2011 |
Health Care Association of New Jersey president Paul Langevin said, “A Universal Transfer Form has been a goal of New Jersey’s health care system for many years. Anyone who moves within the health care system will have a synopsis of their prognosis, critical care needs and treatment plan.” New Jersey will be the first, and possibly only, state to require the use of a Universal Transfer Form which will provide a real time record including a patient’s vital signs, medications and diagnosis. The one-page standardized form will accompany any patient transferred between nursing homes, hospitals or other health care facilities.
|
|
|
|
| http://www.providermagazine.com/columns/Pages/Using-Technology-To-Improve-Administrative-Workflow-.aspx | Clare DeNicola |
Provider Magazine |
| Article Date: 9/28/2011 |
Long term care providers are evaluating their technology infrastructures as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS') new model of rewards and penalties for interoperable EHRs takes shape.
According to a recent survey from IVANS, there has been a significant increase in the use of EHRs over the past two years. Twenty-eight percent of health care professionals who responded to the study said they are already using EHRs or electronic medical records (EMRs), and almost 40 percent have implementation plans within the next 12 months to two years. This represents a 60 percent increase over those providers who participated in IVANS 2009 survey.
Home health care and skilled nursing are currently not eligible for the EHR incentive program. These factors, along with lack of HIT expertise, budgets, and resources explain why 34 percent of home health care, and 40 percent of skilled nursing facilities, have no immediate plans to implement EHRs or EMRs.
While EHR incentives are not yet available for everyone, the government’s push to advance technology through such legislative acts as the Affordable Care Act and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act has led many providers to research where they can receive immediate benefits by improving their day-to-day administrative processes.
They are implementing real-world solutions that automate specific workflows and yield savings today, while maintaining a longer-term view on HIT programs that have little to no impact on their businesses right now.
For example, by integrating digital and web-based technologies into compliance and audit workflows, providers can comply with mandates faster, and save time and money by reducing manual paperwork. |
|
|
|
| http://thecabin.net/news/2011-09-24/statewide-program-focuses-home-environment | |
Log Cabin Democrat |
| Article Date: 9/24/2011 |
With an approach based on a number of culture change concepts, such as the Eden Alternative, the Greenhouse Model, and the Pioneer Network, the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care’s Arkansas Innovative Performance Program (AIPP) will work alongside a selected group of homes to assist with the application of these concepts.
AIPP, in partnership with the state’s Office of Long Term Care and the Arkansas Health Care Association, is working with 10 nursing homes and one assisted living facility across the state for the second year of this intensive culture change program.
The focus will be to expand the boundaries of how we define culture change, to go beyond a physical model of the building to the acceptance of a remodel of the heart within the staff.
One of the concepts of culture change is consistently assigning staff members to care for the same group of residents, so they can strengthen relationships and immediately recognize changes in residents’ health or behavior.
“We want to allow residents to make more choices about their daily lives, creating a home-like environment,” explained Betty Bennett, AIPP’s program director. “The nursing home industry and the nation realize that the current model must adapt to meet the expectations of our residents and their families. We have to meet both the physical and the emotional needs of our residents.” |
|
|
|
| NIC attendees optimistic about long-term prospects, president says | McKnight's Long-Term Care |
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
| Article Date: 9/23/2011 |
The annual meeting of the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry drew a record crowd on Monday. NIC President Robert G. Kramer said, "The fact that we are having our largest attendance ever is testimony to the fact that people are positive about this field. Even though the economy is struggling, they see great opportunities ahead for the seniors housing and care sector.” Kramer said another attraction for providers is "the opportunity to serve a new generation that will be arriving over the next 10 to 20 years. So right now we see operators willing to introduce themselves to capital partners so they can grow to meet those future demands. And investors -- such as REITs, private equity, institutional investors and lenders -- are seeking to develop relationships with folks that they think are best in class operators. "
|
|
|
|
| Internal email says controversial CLASS health office to close | Julian Pecquet |
The Hill’s Healthwatch |
| Article Date: 9/22/2011 |
The Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act has been put on hold for now and the White House has requested that Senate Democrats not provide funding for the program in the next fiscal year. “They just said they would take a pause,” Robert Yee told The Hill. “Technically, Kathy Greenlee, the administrator for CLASS, is still in charge. But the staff, eight people in the office as of last week, will not be working on CLASS. They have been, or are in the process of being, reassigned.”
|
|
|
|
| Medicaid directors seek flexibility from supercommittee | Sam Baker |
The Hill’s Healthwatch |
| Article Date: 9/22/2011 |
On Thursday the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) asked the congressional supercommittee to give states more flexibility over Medicaid programs. The NAMD contends that both federal government and states could see savings if the changes are made.
|
|
|
|
| Depression tied to higher risk for stroke | HealthDay |
HealthDay |
| Article Date: 9/22/2011 |
A new study by Harvard researchers indicates a 45 percent higher risk of stroke for depressed individuals. |
|
|
|
| Alline Kent |
Sun News |
| Article Date: 9/21/2011 |
“Feeling proud of our citizenship, community, friends and families is a universal feeling. This weeklong celebration is a demonstration of the commitment assisted living professionals feel when providing care and services to residents in their communities,” said Allison Gatliff, senior living adviser at Summer’s Landing. Summer’s Landing residents celebrated the week with a different theme each day, from a Pirate Day to a Luau Day.
|
|
|
|
| Thousands of providers gather as largest nursing home association opens its 62th annual convention | McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
| Article Date: 9/20/2011 |
American Health Care Association president and CEO, Mark Parkinson spoke at the opening general session of the AHCA/NCAL 62nd convention in Las Vegas on Monday, saying in part, “Critics don't understand what we do. Our industry is under attack. We're going to fight, fight, fight and win these battles.” Parkinson went on to ask providers to participate in grassroots advocacy efforts, to contact their local representatives and take part in fly-ins to Washington, D.C. this fall.
|
|
|
|
| GA:Stone Brooke celebrates Assisted Living Week | Debbie Lurie-Smith |
Jones County News |
| Article Date: 9/15/2011 |
A chorus of ‘God Bless America’ rang out at balloons filled the skies over the Stone Brooke Suites in Gray on Monday. The balloon release was part of the facility’s celebration of National Assisted Living Week which began on Sunday, September 11. |
| State/Province: Georgia |
|
|
|
| Largest U.S. long-term care association kicks off 62nd annual convention Sunday | McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving |
| Article Date: 9/15/2011 |
The 62nd Annual AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo begins on Sunday at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, and runs through Wednesday. For those interested in assisted living issues, “NCAL Day” will be on Sunday. For more information on the expo, please see the AHCA/NCAL website.
|
|
|
|
| Spotlight: Love of flying knows no age limits | Tom Loewy |
The Register-Mail |
| Article Date: 9/13/2011 |
Ageless Aviation Dreams took two elderly residents of a Galesburg assisted living facility up in a Stearman biplane last week as part of the 40th annual National Stearman Fly-In at Galesburg Municipal Airport. "The goal is to fly seniors and veterans who live in assisted living or retirement homes," said Darryl Fisher, president of Ageless Aviation Dreams in Galesburg, IL. |
|
|
|
| AGING AMERICA: Caregivers urge action as Obama administration drafts national Alzheimer’s plan | Associated Press, Washington Post |
Associated Press, Washington Post |
| Article Date: 9/13/2011 |
It is estimated that by 2050, between 13 million and 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s at a cost of $1 trillion in medical and nursing home fees.
|
|
|
|
| Gardens of Wetumpka is ‘Forever Proud’ | The Wetumpka Herald |
The Wetumpka Herald |
| Article Date: 9/12/2011 |
In celebration of National Assisted Living Week, the Gardens of Wetumpka has a series of events lined up which all encompass this year’s theme of “Forever Proud.” Events include a Family Fun Day and an employee dessert contest.
|
|
|
|
| For Many Older Gays, a Toll of Time and Isolation | MANUEL A. ESKILDSEN, M.D., |
New York Times |
| Article Date: 9/12/2011 |
Geriatrician discusses what health care providers can do to help older gays feel less isolated. |
|
|
|
| http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63205.html | Matt Dobias |
Politico |
| Article Date: 9/11/2011 |
Although the health sector has created a high number of jobs during a time when unemployment numbers have been high, Obama’s new $447 billion jobs bill could have a negative impact on health sector jobs. Obama has asked the deficit supercommittee to find additional savings to help pay for the jobs bill, and to do that, the supercommittee may have to make even deeper cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. “It seems silly to take money from the only growing sector of the economy to prop up others,” a health care lobbyist said.
|
|
|
|
| Letter: Pay a visit to assisted living center next week | Joleen Klausman |
Leavenworth Times |
| Article Date: 9/8/2011 |
In a letter to the editor, Joleen Klausman of the Kansas Center for Assisted Livingasks readers to visit an assisted living center during National Assisted Living Week which begins September 11th. That date marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and also happens to be Grandparents’ Day. "Forever proud" is the theme of this year’s celebration.
|
|
|
|
| Caregivers encouraged to obtain flu vaccinations | Angela Stringfellow |
senior homes.com |
| Article Date: 9/7/2011 |
The CDC is urging care providers to get the flu vaccine to better protect frail and elderly patients. It has been shown that low vaccination rates among providers in long-term care settings lead to influenza outbreaks and even more deaths.
|
|
|