Older Americans Report articles from February 2004

Older Americans Report archives from February 2004

HHS revives Medicaid block grant idea, but chance of passage is small for now.
February 6, 2004... This week, the Bush administration said it still backs a plan under which states would have the option of taking their Medicaid dollars in the form of a block grant rather than as an open-ended match. But how hard it will push for the proposal...

Rebalancing initiative cannot succeed if AoA is flat-funded, advocates say.
February 6, 2004... The aging network will get virtually no additional money in Fiscal 2005 if a budget presented by President Bush this week is approved. For the Administration on Aging, Bush requested $1.377 billion, an increase of $3 million or two-tenths...

Ombudsmen fielding more complaints as residents call on them for help.
February 6, 2004... Data on the work of the nation's long-term care ombudsman are in, complete with lists of the top 20 complaints and the number of cases opened and closed. But the best part of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Report Fiscal 2001, released last...

AoA officials working with ombudsmen to improve quality of complaint data.(Administration on Aging)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Although there are many numbers in the latest report on the ombudsman program, AoA is working to make those numbers more reliable, according to ombudsman program specialist Sue Wheaton. "We're on an intensive training program to improve the...

Partnership grants awarded.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has made eight awards as part of its Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program. The grantees received an average of $750,000 to implement plans they developed under a previous round of grants. The...

Research diversity.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... As the population of seniors becomes more diverse racially and ethnically, it is important to make sure that researchers recruit a representative sample of subjects, according to Leslie Curry and James Jackson, editors of The Science of...

Green house project offers sessions, tours on remaking long-term care.
February 6, 2004... There are four opportunities in the next few months to learn about a significantly different way of designing and operating long-term care facilities, an approach that tries to recreate as closely as possible the look and feel of home living...

Nursing homes grew out of attempt to replicate 'magic' of hospitals.
February 6, 2004... At a certain point in the film, The Green House Project, a representative of United Methodist Senior Services of Mississippi wonders out loud how the nation went down the path of institutionalizing old people in the first place. The...

Losing money on Medicaid patients.(Survey of American Health Care Association, state government policies)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... A survey of nursing homes in 37 states commissioned by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) shows that Medicaid payments fall below the cost of care by $11.55 a day. Last year, the shortfall was just under $10, according to BDO Seidman,...

CMS talks tough on provider taxes, but no changes on bed taxes planned.(United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
February 6, 2004... One of the most controversial approaches taken by states to ease their burdens under Medicaid--taxing nursing home beds, using the taxes to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates and then using those higher reimbursement rates to draw down more...

Thompson defends revised estimate of Rx bill cost, rejects 'credibility gap'.(Tommy Thompson, Department of Health and Human Services)
February 6, 2004... At a briefing this week on his budget for Fiscal 2005, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson was repeatedly asked why the Medicare bill enacted last month will cost $534 billion over 10 years, $139 billion more than the figure used by the Congressional...

CMS: authorization to disclose.(United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, health information)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Information collection. CMS has developed a form whereby Medicare patients can authorize the disclosure of information to third parties, called Medicare Authorization to Disclose Health Information. An estimated 1 million people will use the...

CMS: end-stage renal disease.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Information collection. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is initiating a survey of consumer satisfaction with kidney dialysis services as part of a larger initiative to gauge consumer satisfaction with health care providers. This...

CMS: long-term care hospitals.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Proposed rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updates its payment rates for long-term care hospitals by an average of 2.9 percent for the 2005 cycle, which begins July 1. In addition, it reduces to three days the interval during...

CMS: PPS for psychiatric care.(Federal Register)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Proposed rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is extending the comment period on replacing the "reasonable cost" system of paying for care at psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric units of regular hospitals with a per-diem...

SSA: Florida waivers.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... The Social Security Administration is using its waiver authority to extend the reach of the Cash and Counseling program in Florida. Such programs are intended to provide seniors and other people who use the Medicaid personal-care benefit more...

VA: compensation and pensions.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Proposed rule. The Veterans Affairs Department has rewritten its regulations on compensation and pensions as part of an effort to put all its regulations in clearer prose. No substantive changes are intended. Comments are due March 30. Contact:...

NIA: Alzheimer's disease.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... The National Institute on Aging has $16 million for eight grants under the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers program. It also has $5 million for four grants under the Alzheimer's Disease Core Centers program. In both cases, the focus is on...

Alzheimer's group repositions itself to tackle public health 'epidemic'.(Alzheimer's Association)
February 13, 2004... With a picture of an older woman parachuting from an airplane and the slogan, "By the time you're old, Alzheimer's could be just a memory," the Alzheimer's Association yesterday took out full-page ads in papers around the country asking for...

Online service provides peer network for caregivers of Alzheimer's patients.(Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Network)
February 13, 2004... The stresses of caring for people with Alzheimer's disease are well documented. But in an online message board sponsored by the University of Florida, the heartbreak, anxiety and frustration come through in a way no official report can...

Plaque identification lays groundwork for possible Alzheimer's treatment.(amyloid plaque to give a new source of light in treatment)
February 13, 2004... When neuroscientists say a cure for Alzheimer's disease is imminent, they mean they are finding ways to keep a substance called amyloid plaque, which everybody has to some extent, from building up in the brain. The only problem is that...

Proposal by Sen. Craig would provide tax relief for long-term care costs.(Senator Larry Craig)
February 13, 2004... One indication of a proposal's viability is how many different versions of it there are on Capitol Hill. By this measure, using the tax code to defray the costs of long-term care has a lot of support, and this week, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho),...

Money for liheap.($2 billion finance for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2004... In his proposed budget for Fiscal 2005, President Bush is seeking $2 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a lifeline for seniors who cannot pay their heating and cooling bills. The $2 billion figure includes $1.8 billion...

Pension bill on hold.(Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2004... Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) is refusing to go to conference with the House over legislation (H.R. 3108) to temporarily lower the amount that companies must put into their pension plans until he gets assurances that Democrats...

Toolkit available for helping seniors avoid depression, substance abuse.(Healthy Aging Program)(Center for Substance Abuse Prevention)(Get Connected:tool kit for seniors)
February 13, 2004... The Administration on Aging and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are both part of the Department of Health and Human Services, making it natural for the agencies to collaborate in reaching seniors with emotional...

When seniors get drug prescriptions, the doctor is not always right.(National Center for Health Statistics Research)
February 13, 2004... Older Americans will soon get more help from Medicare with their prescription drug costs, but Medicare cannot help if doctors give seniors inappropriate prescriptions, as they do about 8 percent of the time, according to the National Center for...

Veterans would no longer face copays for hospice care under Bush budget.(President George W. Bush porposes $1.2 billion increament for veterans)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2004... President Bush has proposed an increase of $1.2 billion in discretionary spending at the Department of Veterans Affairs for Fiscal 2005, which would make it possible to eliminate copayments for hospice care. The move was applauded by the...

House, senate concur on legislation to stem representative payee abuse.(law to protect seniors from being defrauded by representative payee)
February 13, 2004... The House this week accepted the Senate version of legislation to protect seniors and others who are defrauded by representative payees and sent the bill to the White House. The main feature of the Social Security Protection Act (H.R. 743)...

Medicaid growth slows.(Centre For Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2004... The number of people receiving Medicaid benefits grew by 3.9 percent in 2003, down from 5.9 percent in 2002, according to CMS. Meanwhile, Medicare spending grew by 5.2 percent in 2003, down from 8.4 percent the previous year. Overall, health...

Medicare confab.(Calendar Update)(Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson)(Calendar)
February 13, 2004... Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson will speak at a conference in Washington Feb. 25-27 on the new Medicare law, including its prescription drug benefits. Speakers include Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation,...

Private duty.(Calendar Update)(National Private Duty Association )(Calendar)
February 13, 2004... The National Private Duty Association (NPDA) meets March 24-26 in San Antonio to discuss issues affecting the home care industry, including the trend toward nurse registries. Contact: NPDA, (317) 844-7105, www.privatedutyhomecare.org.

Ombudsman training.(Calendar Update)(National Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Resource Center)(Calendar)
February 13, 2004... State long-term care ombudsmen will meet April 24-27 in St. Louis to polish their advocacy skills. The event is sponsored by the National Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Resource Center. Contact: Julie Meashey, (202) 332-2275, jmeashey@nccnhr.org.

Geriatric nursing.(Calendar Update)(Calendar)
February 13, 2004... The School of Nursing at the University of Missouri will hold a conference Sept. 10-11 titled Improving Chronic Care: Transferring Geriatric Research into Practice. The meeting will be in Columbia, Mo., and features Jeanette Takamura, head of...

Proposed rules would add flexibility on paying for volunteer expenses.(Corporation for National and Community Service)(Seniors Corps, a trio of programs )(Brief Article)
February 13, 2004... With new regulations, the Corporation for National and Community Service hopes to make it easier to operate Seniors Corps, a trio of programs that connect older individuals with people and groups that need their talents. For the Senior...

CMS: PACE assessment.(Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2004... Information collection. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is field-testing an approach to evaluating the performance of Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. There are two components: an outcome-based continuous quality...

FDA: drug ads.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2004... Notice. The Food and Drug Administration says people do not read and cannot understand the fine print about drug risks in print advertisements. In draft guidance, the agency says companies that do not want to run the full professional version...

CDC: asthma prevention.(Funding Opportunities)
February 13, 2004... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has $6.3 million for about 17 awards on ways to prevent asthma, one of several chronic diseases targeted by the Administration on Aging. The focus is on treating asthma as a public health issue,...

Senate passes transportation bill, paving way for funding increases.
February 20, 2004... Advocates got part of what they wanted last week when the Senate passed legislation that would authorize a significant boost in funding for the Sec. 5310 transportation program for seniors and people with disabilities. Under the Safe,...

Transportation bills differ in how much states can spend on administration.(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... As Congress moves toward renewing the transportation program, advocates are watching to see how much money can be spent on administrative purposes under the Sec. 5310 program for seniors and people with disabilities. Legislation passed by...

Transportation bill held up in debate on how to avoid indexing gas taxes.
February 20, 2004... The Sec. 5310 transportation program for seniors and people with disabilities is a tiny part of the federal budget, but its fate hinges on how Congress intends to pay for a much larger package of highway and mass transit programs. The...

Senate keeps 'new freedom' name but consolidates with Sec. 5310.
February 20, 2004... As the House moves toward reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, advocates will be watching to see how a proposed "New Freedom" plan to help people with disabilities will affect the existing Sec. 5310 program for...

Senate bill would create clearinghouse on senior transportation strategies.(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... Local nonprofits may be able to get demonstration grants for senior transportation projects if a component of legislation passed last week by the Senate is adopted by the House. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation...

University, nursing home collaborate in showing students long-term care.(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... Saying medical professionals must learn more about long-term care, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, is touting its collaboration with a nursing home across the street from the university's health sciences center. The Garrison...

Staying focused.(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... Kena Dubberly remembers when she and her colleagues at Sears Methodist Retirement System first got the idea of building a nursing home where people training for a career in nursing, pharmacy or medicine could learn firsthand what seniors need....

Advocates seek more LIHEAP dollars as senate reauthorizes program.(Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)
February 20, 2004... As Congress moves toward a budget resolution--the framework for spending that guides appropriations committees--supporters of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are pushing for an increase in funding. In a letter to the...

Hospice association disputes findings on cost of care in last year of life.(National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
February 20, 2004... Hospice care, often described as an attempt to encourage people to forego heroic treatment in the face of certain death, may not save as much money as some of its backers have claimed, according to research published in the Feb. 17 issue of the...

Court upholds charities' exemption from national do-not-call list.
February 20, 2004... Seniors and others who want to stop charitable solicitations by phone will continue to be forced to make requests on a charity-by-charity basis rather than place their names on the national do-not-call list, according to a ruling Feb. 17 by the...

Centralized system makes it easier to comment on proposed rules.
February 20, 2004... Many things about the federal government are now in searchable, Web-based formats, including www.grants.gov for information on funding opportunities and www.benefits.gov for information on benefits programs. Now, there is a centralized...

CMS: hospital quality initiative.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... Information collection. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has created a framework for reporting data on hospital patient outcomes and patient satisfaction. Although the Hospital Quality Initiative, which will let consumers make...

FDA: osteoporosis treatments.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration is updating its Draft Guidance for Industry on the Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation of Agents Used in the Prevention or Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis, which may be viewed at...

FTA: fiscal 2004 apportionments.(Federal Register)(Federal Transit Administration )(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... The Federal Transit Administration shows how much each state will receive under various programs, including the Sec. 5310 program for seniors and people with disabilities. Allotments are given both for the full year and for the period ending...

FTC: telemarketing.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... Proposed rule. The Federal Trade Commission amends the Telemarketing Sales Rule so that telemarketers have to download more frequently the list of people who do not want to be called under the Do-Not-Call system. Originally, the FTC required...

HHS: poverty guidelines.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... The Department of Health and Human Services updates its definition of the federal poverty level for 2004, as measured by income. For an individual, it is $9,310. For each additional member of the family unit, add $3,180. Effective Feb. 13....

ANF: nursing research.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... The American Nurses Foundation has two grants for clinical gerontological nursing research, one for $10,000 and one for $20,000. Only experienced nurse researchers may apply, defined as those with at least three publication credits and $15,000...

FNS: food stamp outreach.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... The Food and Nutrition Service has $1 million for up to 10 grants to boost participation in the food stamp program. Seniors are one of three groups targeted for outreach, along with immigrants and the working poor. Applicants can adopt one of...

FNS: food stamp simplification.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... The Food and Nutrition Service has $5 million for research on ways to make it easier to apply for food stamps and thus boost participation rates. Unlike the outreach grant opportunity described above, this funding stream is directed to state...

Hospice programs.(Calendar Update)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 20, 2004... The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) will hold its Clinical Team Conference March 23-25 in Las Vegas. Workshops include nutrition at the end of life, how to distinguish grief from depression and providing hospice...

Palliative care.(Calendar Update)(Center to Advance Palliative Care)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 20, 2004... The Center to Advance Palliative Care will provide a training seminar May 6-8 in Minneapolis. Participants will study how to fund palliative care programs, do a needs assessment and develop partnerships between hospitals and hospices. Contact:...

Mobility issues.(Calendar Update)(Community Transportation Association of America)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 20, 2004... The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) will meet June 14-15 in Seattle. Workshop topics include how to build a senior-friendly transit service and how to broker medical transportation services. Contact: CTAA: (202) 415-9666,...

Rule delay sought.(Brief Article)
February 20, 2004... The American Hospital Association (AHA) last week urged the Department of Homeland Security to delay implementing a rule that requires healthcare professionals who are not citizens to get a certificate from a department-approved credentialing...

Proposed constitutional amendment raises stakes for gay seniors.(Defense of Marriage Act of 1996)
February 27, 2004... Advocates for gay and lesbian seniors strongly protested a proposal this week by President Bush to amend the Constitution by defining marriage as a contract between a man and a woman. The amendment would cement the 1996 Defense of Marriage...

Advocates sue CMS to get information on feeding assistants programs.
February 27, 2004... Showing that the controversy over using single-task workers to feed nursing home residents is not over, two organizations have sued the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in an attempt to get information about feeding assistants...

SHIP, OIG budgets would be increased under proposal by Sen. Grassley.(State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, Office of Inspector General)
February 27, 2004... As CMS moves to implement the new Medicare law, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has urged Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to provide more money for the SHIP network of Medicare...

McClellan tapped for CMS.(Mark McClellan, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Mark McClellan, who is best known to aging advocates for his refusal to countenance the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada, has been nominated by President Bush to head the Centers for...

Hospice provision praised.(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is celebrating a new opportunity to teach seniors about their eligibility for hospice care. Under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (P.L. 108-173),...

Hormone replacement and asthma.(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Post-menopausal women who take estrogen or estrogen plus progestin are twice as likely to develop asthma as women who never take such hormone drugs, according to research published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The...

Republicans demur, democrats crow over comments by Alan Greenspan.
February 27, 2004... For different reasons, lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum reacted quickly to comments by Alan Greenspan Feb. 25 on steps that could be taken to ensure sufficient resources for the Big Three entitlement programs: Medicare,...

Geriatric programs defended.(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is fighting a plan by President Bush to eliminate programs that provide training in geriatrics to health care professionals. In Fiscal 2004, Congress appropriated $32 million for these efforts, an increase...

Aging in place.(regulations of public housing facilities)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... One way to keep seniors out of nursing homes is to make sure public housing facilities have supportive services. With this in mind, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has sponsored legislation that would authorize $100 million to reconfigure public...

Combating obesity.(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... State and local governments, educational institutions and community groups concerned about the epidemic of obesity could establish partnerships with nursing homes and senior centers under legislation that is being considered by the health panel...

Immigration plans hailed.(illegal immigrant employment )(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... The American Health Care Association (AHCA) says President Bush and congressional leaders are on the right track in trying to make it easier for certain illegal immigrants to find work or keep their current positions. "From the standpoint of...

Advocates celebrate opportunity for intergenerational housing.(Generations United)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Saying elderly housing has failed to recognize the connections between seniors and their families, especially their grandchildren, advocates this week took time to celebrate a small step toward opening up the age ghetto. The LEGACY Act,...

Craig backs administration effort to promote long-term care insurance.(Larry Craig )(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), chairman of the Aging Committee, this week introduced legislation that would make it possible for all states to adopt Partnerships for Long-Term Care. Such arrangements encourage people to purchase long-term care...

Accreditation group asks for comments on long-term care standards.(CARF-CCAC )(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... CARF-CCAC is soliciting comments on standards for continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) and similar organizations. The standards cover general business practices; program standards specific to the CCRC model; and standards pertaining to...

Governors put efforts to promote healthy aging at top of agenda.(National Governors Association)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... With a push from one of their own, the nation's governors are taking a hard look at the needs of an aging population and trying to learn from each other's best practices. The effort is spearheaded by Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R),...

Do not segregate Medicaid patients, nursing home advocates say.(National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform)
February 27, 2004... Making sure seniors on Medicaid do not end up in a "poor people's" section of long-term care facilities is one of several stands adopted last month by the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR). The segregation...

Preventing strokes.(a new legislation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee )(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Healthcare providers would be able to enhance their treatment of stroke victims under legislation approved by the health panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month. The Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act (H.R. 3658)...

Priorities set.(American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging outlines objectives)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) has outlined its objectives for Fiscal 2005, including at least $775 million for new Sec. 202 housing projects and $75 million for service coordinators. Other goals include...

Becoming a specialist.(Extension Service of University of California offers course to become Gerontological Information and Assistance Specialists)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... The Extension Service at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is recruiting people who want to become Gerontological Information and Assistance Specialists. The program helps people prepare for the national certification exam in...

Talking their language.(medicare law available in many languages)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Information about the new Medicare law is available in a dozen languages on the Web site of the Social Security Administration, including Armenian, Farsi, Korean and Greek, as well as Arabic, French, Polish and Portuguese. The Multilanguage...

Veterans budget assailed.(proposed budget for the Veterans Affairs Department by the Bush government)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Commenting on the proposed budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, Senate minority leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) criticized President Bush for maintaining a policy under which veterans' pensions are offset dollar-for-dollar by any disability...

Thompson backtracks on forcing states to submit Medicaid budgets in advance.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services withdraws proposal)
February 27, 2004... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has withdrawn, at least temporarily, a proposal to force states to submit their Medicaid budgets in advance. As conceived, states would have to submit their Medicaid budgets 150 days before...

FDA: bar codes for drugs.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Final rule. The Food and Drug Administration adopts a mechanism whereby all drugs and biological products except blood will be given bar codes. The goal is to make sure the right patient gets the right drug in the right dosage at the right time...

Postal service: semipostals.(United States. Postal Service)(Brief Article)
February 27, 2004... Final rule. The Postal Service adopts without substantive change a proposed rule clarifying its method for calculating how much money is generated by semipostal stamps such as the Breast Cancer stamp. Effective Feb. 5. Contact: Cindy Tackett,...