Stephanie Bouchard
Last spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the first round of payments for its electronic health record incentive programs. Payments totaling $75 million were distributed to providers who had signed up in the first two weeks of the Medicare incentive program and more than $83 million had been paid to Medicaid providers.
For a lot of seniors, trying to figure out their finances to determine if or for how long they can stay in a senior living community is a daunting task. CRL Senior Living Communities, a company with about a dozen independent and assisted living facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin, began offering financial concierge services to its residents and potential residents last spring. It is already showing a positive return on investment.
CRL’s financial concierge service has generated “probably an excess of $1 million in topline revenue” said the company’s president, Ari Weinberger, and he expects the business to grow.
A survey of practicing nurses found that they currently feel secure about their jobs but pressures due to the rough economy have impacted their retirement plans.
Various stakeholders in the healthcare system have talked for years about applying to the healthcare system the engineering concepts that have made manufacturers like Toyota so efficient and successful. While those working in the field have been slow to adopt those concepts, more and more people are seeing the value in doing so.
A ruling made by the California Supreme Court in June may be binding only in that state but it has implications for doctors across the country.
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) attempting to examine the quality of care provided at some private investment nursing homes was basically meaningless say those in the industry.
To be sleep-deprived and overworked is nearly a badge of honor in some medical circles but others argue that fatigue causes medical errors. A study from London suggests that those who work in teams have a better chance at battling the effects of fatigue than tired people working individually.
In a 3-to-1 decision, the National Labor Relations Board overruled a decision made 20 years ago that set the standard for determining how bargaining units were formed at non-acute care facilities. Opponents have warned that if the NLRB changed the way units are determined at non-acute care facilities like nursing homes, costs will increase and quality of care may suffer.
Inpatient rehabilitation operator, HealthSouth, is realigning its hospitals into six regions in order to position itself for future expansion.
The Department of Veterans Affairs appears to be dodging its responsibilities to veterans in need of mental healthcare by seeking to appeal a ruling made by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last spring. The side effects of the VA's stonewalling include an increased burden on the nation's healthcare system and dire consequences for the veterans in need of services.