PL 18-03-NF - This guidance for Nursing providers was issued by HHSC to address licensure violations and when violations counts as one of the three violations forming the basis for the license revocation that is required by §19.2107 in 40 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 19. b) Except as provided by subsection (d) of this section, the executive commissioner revokes a license if DADS finds that: (1) the license holder has committed three violations in §19.601(b) or (c) of this chapter … [Read more...] about Nursing Facilities – Immediate Threat Violations
New Requirements for Rehabilitative Services and Nursing Facility Specialized Services
PL 18-01 (NF) -Last September 10, 2017, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) added new rules and amended and deleted rules in Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 40, Part 1, Chapter 19, Nursing Facility Requirements for Licensure and Medicaid Certification. The Provider letter describes new requirements related to rehabilitative services and nursing facility (NF) specialized services and the provider responsibilities that arise from the new rules. Among many new rules and for … [Read more...] about New Requirements for Rehabilitative Services and Nursing Facility Specialized Services
New Law gives Healthcare providers and Nurses Religious Protections
According to reports, a newly created division of the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office for Civil Rights will oversee and protect health care workers who decline to partake in certain medical procedures for patients due to moral or religious objections. HHS’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule on "protecting life" and “conscience rights” that will further protect health-care providers who think they are being punished or discriminated … [Read more...] about New Law gives Healthcare providers and Nurses Religious Protections
Nursing Providers: Avoiding Common Errors that Result in Nursing Facility Specialized Services Denial
Information Letter No. 18-02 -Nursing Facility providers often make two common mistakes that usually result in denial of authorization requests or Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) NF specialized services or assessments. To avoid this error, DADS has published this letter to help avoid these errors. The two most common reasons HHSC denies authorization requests for PASRR specialized services and assessments are: 1. NF staff … [Read more...] about Nursing Providers: Avoiding Common Errors that Result in Nursing Facility Specialized Services Denial
Physician shortage in Texas spells major issues for aging population
43 US states have a higher proportion of primary care physicians to residents than Texas and 35 out 80 Texas counties have no doctors at all. According to news reports, there are not enough doctors in Texas, especially in certain rural stretches of South Texas. The shortage will require training — and retaining — more physicians in Texas but one main problem is that the state needs to add more residency slots for post-graduate medical training to remain competitive — a problem that has plagued … [Read more...] about Physician shortage in Texas spells major issues for aging population
Texas lawmakers approve major nursing home quality reforms
According to reports, the 2017 Texas regular legislative session made vast changes affecting older Texans. Lawmakers approved several top priorities for AARP Texas including bills that, among other things, will protect seniors’ financial future, improve access to health care, and help unpaid family caregivers and their families.Also included was major nursing home quality reforms that seek to hold operators of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities more accountable when they have been … [Read more...] about Texas lawmakers approve major nursing home quality reforms
Report: Forecasting the growth prospect of the global long-term care market
There are more than 1,200 long-term care centers in Texas and according to the Administration on Aging, over 70 percent of people turning age 65 can expect to use some form of Long term care in their lives. Long-term care in the US has been based on but not limited to nursing homes, and facility-based long-term care that includes services such as continuing care retirement communities, assisted living, and board-and-care home. Long term care is not medical care but serves the purpose of … [Read more...] about Report: Forecasting the growth prospect of the global long-term care market
Physician’s duties increasingly reduced by nurses, long-term care providers for chronically ill
According to news reports a shifting role of physicians is expected to accelerate in the coming decades. Healthcare providers work as a team with health specialist usually overseeing various aspects of a patients care including symptoms and medical history, orders for tests and services, prescriptions, etc. At the end of the pre-screening by healthcare providers, a physician is left with the final assessment and the plan—the medical decisions and diagnosis. some doctors are said to be opting … [Read more...] about Physician’s duties increasingly reduced by nurses, long-term care providers for chronically ill
Health Care Providers See Millennials as Key to Nursing Shortage
Shortage of Nurses and nursing providers have increased as more of the population retires. Millennials, who fall between the birth years of 1982 to 2000 are the top age group that is becoming the largest group in the in-home care workforce. According to a new study published in the October edition of Health Affairs an average millennial is now 186% more likely to become a registered nurse (RN) compared to baby boomers who's generation are the ones most typically in the highest leadership … [Read more...] about Health Care Providers See Millennials as Key to Nursing Shortage
Procedural Requirements for Requesting Additional Medicaid Beds through an Exemption
Provider Letter 2017-30 Addressed to Nursing facilities. DADS reports that to qualify for a high occupancy rate exemption and receive an allocation of additional Medicaid beds when it has high occupancy rates, a NF must demonstrate that it has had an occupancy rate of at least 90 percent for nine of the 12 months prior to the application. A NF may not rely on data for any month before a previous increase. See the provider letter for more details. Medicaid Bed Allocation Requirements for high … [Read more...] about Procedural Requirements for Requesting Additional Medicaid Beds through an Exemption