Charity Care Declines

America has always been a generous country, and some professions encourage practitioners to offer free services to those who need but can’t afford those services. For example, lawyers are encouraged to do pro bono work for the indigent who need legal representation. The American Bar Association and other legal organizations include this in their codes [...]

Nursing Homes Seek Economic Stability

Nursing homes are bearing the brunt of state budget cuts and after-effects of the hurricane season.
For example, Louisiana faced $70.2 million in budget cuts, but the Senate decided to exclude a provision that called for a $36 billion reduction in Medicare and Medicaid funding. The House of Representatives may choose to include the provision.
From [...]

Provider Letter: More Delays in Licensure

In January, I blogged about a provider letter issued by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) to Home and Community Support Services Agencies (HCSSA). At that time, DADS reported lengthy delays in processing applications for initial licensure and Medicare certification because of the number of applications received.
In a new letter, DADS advises [...]

Update Medicare Coverage for Spinal Disk

Last month I blogged about an artificial spinal disk called Charite by (Johnson & Johnson). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed to deny coverage for the surgery, citing lack of evidence that it is “reasonable and necessary.” The 30-day period for comments ended last Friday, and it appears Medicare will not cover [...]

Market Forces Lower Prescription Drug Prices

According to Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, prescription drug prices have dropped, thanks to “market forces.” (Medical News Today)
So capitalism works? Excellent news!
President Bush must have had the right idea by injecting competition into Medicare’s prescription drug program, the same one that people say is confusing. According to a [...]

Benefits – Have You Notified CMS About Employees’, Retirees’ and Dependents’ Creditable Prescription Drug Coverage?

New CMS Guidelines for Disclosing Creditable Status of Prescription Drug Coverage

FLSA – When Is Break Time Work Time?

Miscalculations in break time can sometimes lead to wage errors resulting in penalties and fines assessed by the Department of Labor.

Court Tells Employer It Could Be Liable to Third Parties for Not Investigating and Halting Employee’s Online Porn Activities

Employers may have duty to investigate the employee’s illicit internet activities and take prompt and effective action to stop it.

Quality First Pledge

In the long term care industry, there is what’s known as the “Quality First Pledge,” containing seven core principles:

Continuous Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement
Public Disclosure and Accountability
Patient/Resident and Family Rights
Workforce Excellence
Public Input and Community Involvement
Ethical Practices
Financial Stewardship

(Source: American Health Care Association)
Harborside Healthcare, a long term care provider, released a quality report titled, Fulfilling [...]

Japanese Build Robots To Care For Elderly

The Japanese love gadgets. First, it was the Japanese Boyfriend pillow,

and the Japanese lap pillow,

Now, they are inventing Robots to care for the elderly. Regarding the Robot in the top picture,
A Japanese-led research team said it had made a seeing, hearing and smelling robot that can carry human beings and [...]

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