nursing home
Reassessing healthcare transparency
Recently, two Chicago Tribune articles reported that despite a lot of noise about increasing transparency in the healthcare system, the level of transparency necessary for consumers to comparison shop simply isn't yet a reality. Moreover, even if the information were available, it seems as though patients …
... Read more...CMS to fund program for at-home care
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the federal government will announce a $1.75 billion program designed to give some Medicare beneficiaries at-home care rather than treating treatment in nursing homes. Long-term care makes up a third of all Medicaid spending and home-based care often costs less than putting a patient in a nursing home. The CMS funding will cover all expenses incurred in the first year by beneficiaries moving to home care. After that, states will receive …
... Read more...GAO: Disaster plans needed for nursing homes
A GAO report has found that the National Disaster Medical System doesn't adequately plan for transporting nursing home patients. Though it's a task that's left primarily to local officials, federal aid may be needed if they become overwhelmed. It's an issue that arose following Hurricane Katrina last year, when nursing home operators were unsure whether to evacuate patients who were already in fragile condition.
"This report outlines gaps in our disaster response system which may …
... Read more...Nurses file suit against Beverly Health
Three Fayette County nurses have fired a wrongful termination suit against Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services, a provider that operates 354 nursing homes and 18 assisted living facilities in the U.S. The suit also names RN Jean Lavender, the director of nursing services in one of Beverly's West Virginia homes, as a defendant. LPNs Hubert Atkins and Michelle Gill and RN Pamela Givens claim that patient care records were falsified and that patients received grossly substandard care. …
... Read more...Better nursing home care cuts hospitalizations
Nursing home residents are routinely sent to hospitals, but according to a new study nearly a third of those hospitalizations could be avoided if nursing home doctors were on hand to prevent illnesses from escalating. Trips to the hospital are extremely stressful for elderly patients who are already frail and dealing with medical problems on a daily basis.
According to the Boston Globe, there's a growing movement to cut down on the number of unnecessary hospitalizations by …
... Read more...La. investigating patient deaths
Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti said his office has launched an investigation into how hospital and nursing homes handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The probe follows criticism that many of the deaths might have been prevented. Investigators are expected to look at how hospitals handled evacuations and allegations that patients had been euthanized in some situations. On Sunday, Tenet Healthcare announced that it has turned over patient medical records to investigators, …
... Read more...Physician-assisted deaths reported in New Orleans
The Attorney General of Louisiana said he will investigate reports of physician- assisted deaths at hospitals in New Orleans earlier this month during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. No additional details were provided. Scores of patients died at hospitals and nursing homes around the city at the height of the crisis as power failed in intensive care units and life support systems keeping patients alive shut down. Observers said it is possible that hospital and nursing home staff may …
... Read more...Nursing home operators charged in patient deaths
Louisiana authorities charged the operators of a nursing home in New Orleans in the deaths of 34 elderly patients entrusted to their care. Mable and Salvador Magano, the owners of St. Rita's Nursing Home, turned themselves in to authorities and were charged with 34 counts of criminally negligent homicide. Nearly all of the patients at the home died on August 29 as rising flood waters swamped the one-story facility. Officials say the couple had adequate advance warning but failed to …
... Read more...Panel proposes Medicaid co-payment increase
A federal commission delivered its suggestions for trimming spending on Medicaid by as much as $10 billion this year to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Thursday. Proposals include tighter limits on asset transfers by nursing home and long-term care patients and a suggestion that the program could save billions by allowing states to increase co-pays charged to Medicaid recipients. Under the current system, copays are capped by law at $3. The panel recommended steering patients toward …
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