McKnight's Long-Term Care News articles from January 2003

McKnight's Long-Term Care News archives from January 2003

Omnicare in, Genesis out in NCS deal.
January 11, 2003... GENESIS HEALTH Ventures decided to take the money and run, accepting a $22 million check to give up its takeover bid of fellow pharmaceutical services provider NCS Healthcare Inc. Genesis' Dec. 16 announcement all but ended a dramatic game...

Nursing home aide training. (Late Breaking News).
January 11, 2003... A new report from the Inspector General's office calls for an upgrade in nursing home aide training. Teaching methods have often been ineffective and clinical preparation has been too short and unrealistic, the 37-page report said. It calls for...

U.S. Senators. (Late Breaking News).
January 11, 2003... Thirty U.S. Senators sent a letter to the chamber's majority and minority leaders, urging cooperation with House leadership to enact Medicare provider payment legislation quickly once the new Congress is seated in January. Sens. Jon Kyl (RAZ)...

Kindred Healthcare. (Late Breaking News).
January 11, 2003... Kindred Healthcare announced that it entered a non-binding letter of intent to transfer most of its Florida operations to Senior Health Management of Clearwater, FL. But Kindred's main landlord, Ventas, was balking, saying it would need lease...

Sunrise Assisted Living. (Late Breaking News).
January 11, 2003... Sunrise Assisted Living announced that it is exploring buying Marriott Senior Living Services, a move that would create the largest assisted-living company in the country.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Late Breaking News).
January 11, 2003... The new feeding assistant rule proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last year generated about 6,000 comments, 90% of them "favorable," according to an agency manager's update. He said the final document was still expected...

MedPAC may recommend funding hold.
January 11, 2003... Scheduled Medicare payment increases to skilled nursing facilities maybe frozen next year because current funding is "more than adequate," a Congressional advisory panel was told in December. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission will...

Databank.
January 11, 2003... DATABANK..... (CNA PAY RATES) Nursing homes' certified nurse's aids are typically paid less than their less numerous home health and hospital counterparts according to recent surveys. 2001 2002 Home health...

Hard data.
January 11, 2003... 2.4 The percentage of medication errors that resulted in actual harm, according to a recent report by the United States Pharmacopela. 13.2 The percentage rate that Medicaid spending grew in 2002, the fastest rate in a decade, according to...

Medicaid funding threats have states up in arms. (Reimbursement).
January 11, 2003... With state budgets in their worst shape in 60 years, Medicaid funding is under more pressure than ever before, giving nursing-home operators yet another reason to worry about their bottom line. Medicaid spending grew at a 13.2% rate in...

Association disputes GAO staffing report. (Staffing).
January 11, 2003... Nurse staffing time in skilled nursing facilities increased by twice as much as a derisive General Accounting Office analysis claimed, according to a new report from a nursing home association. "Substantial staffing increases" occurred in...

A civil rights division. (Regulatory Issues).
January 11, 2003... A civil rights division of the federal government has released a new guidance document to address frequently asked questions about the new medical privacy rule. The 14-part guidance on the this portion of the Health Insurance Portability and...

The Centers for Medicare. (Regulatory Issues).
January 11, 2003... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it was to start setting reimbursement rates centrally for prescriptions covered by Medicare Part B, beginning the first of this month. CMS said it established the "single drug...

Clarification.
January 11, 2003... SNFs are still OSHA targets The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has stopped targeting skilled nursing facilities under its Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program, as referred to in a Page 1 story in our Dec. 13 issue. But...

GOP in charge: now what? The prospect of more delays in Medicare relief--or possibly no help at all--has nursing home operators nervously watching the Republican leadership in Washington. (Cover Story).
January 11, 2003... When you work the phones and the political circles as hard as Stephen Guilard does for the nursing home industry, your usually get a feel for what's coming. Not this time. As the new Congress prepares serious work on funding bills left...

Bankrupt Integrated Health Services finds a buyer. (Transaction).
January 11, 2003... Those who thought ill nursing home giant Integrated Health Services was headed for total dismemberment were apparently wrong. Trans Health Care Inc., of Camp Hill, PA, declared in early December its intention to buy IHS, which has been in...

After sex scandal, facility's future is uncertain. (State News).
January 11, 2003... SOUTHEAST/KENTUCKY Both sides agree that Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton had an affair with Tina Conner, the owner of Birchtree Manor. After that, the details get murky. Conner claims the governor sent a team of inspectors to the facility after she...

Providers: ergonomics plan does not hold up. (Nursing News).
January 11, 2003... THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY and Health Administration's latest plan to create guidelines to reduce work-related repetitive motion and stress injuries among nursing staff in long-term care settings came under fire. During a recent half-clay hearing...

Gop wins may aid drug push. (Pharmacy News).
January 11, 2003... With Republicans controlling the White House and Congress, a major expansion of Medicare to include prescription drug coverage may have its best chance in years of passing during the current Congressional session. Campaign promises by...

ASCP releases Geriatric Pharmacy Curriculum Guide. (Pharmacy News).
January 11, 2003... The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) recently released its Geriatric Pharmacy Curriculum Guide. The publication is intended for pharmacists, pharmacy students, and pharmacy educators seeking a tool for professional development...

Therapy caps raise quality concerns: providers fear residents and skilled nursing facilities will suffer with fewer therapy services covered by Medicare. (Reimbursement).
January 11, 2003... HARA MARKS The $1,500 therapy caps that were a last minute add-on to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 will have a far-reaching impact on providers, industry experts agreed. Because Congress did not pass Medicare legislation before the...

Marriott International Inc. (Mergers).
January 11, 2003... Marriott International Inc.'s effort to sell its senior-living business is being blocked by an accounting dispute with two partners. Five Star Quality Care Inc. and Senior Housing Properties Trust claim Marriott is profiting unfairly from its...

Milwaukee-based Extendicare. (Earnings).
January 11, 2003... Milwaukee-based Extendicare Health Services Inc. announced a $2 million profit for the third quarter ending Sept. 30. That's a notable improvement over the same period the year before, when the company lost $14.1 million. Extendicare also said...

Sunrise Assisted Living, McLean. (Earnings).
January 11, 2003... Sunrise Assisted Living, McLean, VA, also announced positive financial results in its third-quarter earnings report. The company increased resident capacity by 15% and reported 29% earnings per share growth--beating even its own estimates,...

Hewitt Associates. (Worth Watching).
January 11, 2003... Most large employers will continue providing health care coverage for retirees over the next three years, but many retirees will see an increase in costs, and 20% of employers say that they are very or somewhat likely to eliminate health...

Providers face "sizable obstacles". (Worth Watching).
January 11, 2003... Providers face "sizable obstacles" to delivering care, according to a recent report by a National Academies of Science Institute of Medicine panel. Hurdles include regulatory, payment and legal barriers, among others. The panel called for...

LTCN business: LTC funding heads wish list. (Year Ahead).
January 11, 2003... Reimbursement issues are high on the list of challenges for long-term care providers for 2003. Other familiar problems also pose obstacles to both quality of care and business success, industry insiders say. Yet, while optimism for the...

Genesis: NCS cost became a bitter pill. (Executive Decisions).
January 11, 2003... Q Before the December decision, the NCS acquisition appeared all but finished. Why did Genesis terminate the proposal? A We terminated the deal because the cost became unreasonable. NCS was practically a bankrupt financially troubled...

Kindred. (Enterprise).
January 11, 2003... At least one nursing home chain is recognizing the important role physicians can offer. Kindred Healthcare said that its physicians are playing an increasing role in helping improve care quality. Each Kindred division now has its own chief...

Mel Rhinelander. (Enterprise).
January 11, 2003... Getting more residents into its facilities is paying off handsomely for Extendicare. The firm spent much of the past year focused on that effort, and has seen a handsome payoff. Extendicare's net earnings reached $7.9 million in its most recent...

Marriott Senior Living Services. (Enterprise).
January 11, 2003... You deserve a break today" is a famous slogan from McDonald's restaurant commercials. It might also be used to describe the purpose of a short-stay program recently unveiled by Marriott Senior Living Services. The program offers temporary...

Refurbishment costing not exact science. (P&L Journal).
January 11, 2003... For the past few years, Ziegler has compiled anonymous questions from Chief Financial Officers, answered them and sent responses to our universe of CFOs. Here is a recent question: Q: I've talked to other CFOs and learned that we differ in...

Market monitor.
January 11, 2003... MARKET MONITOR Nursing home payor mix 2001 State Medicare % Medicaid % Other % United States 9.55 66.96 23.49 Alabama 9.98 72.64 17.08 Alaska ...

New growth mantra: collaborative commerce. (Managing Technology).
January 11, 2003... Like train-station commuters, most operators are awaiting a demographic surge that appears to be off in the distance. Many facilities are biding time by watching expenses and Outsourcing services that can help the bottom line. But a new...

SSM Healthcare. (Quality Corner).
January 11, 2003... Improving resident feedback and provider communications does pay off. Just ask SSM Healthcare, which recently became the first healthcare organization in the country to be a named a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winner. SSM owns,...

Marwood Nursing & Rehab. (Quality Corner).
January 11, 2003... Residents are feeling less pain at the Marwood Nursing & Rehab facility in Port Huron. MI, Marwood decreased the prevalence of chronic pain among its residents from 33% in March 2000 to 23% in December 2001. Because of these improvements in...

Academic medical center. (Quality Corner).
January 11, 2003... Having a pharmacist on hand during doctor visits may help reduce medication errors and their consequences. When a pharmacist actively participated in daily rounds at a 600-bed academic medical center recently, medication errors were cut by 51%,...

English-only rules must be consistent. (Legal Matters).
January 11, 2003... Q Can I legally make workers speak only English at my long-term care facility? A English-only rules in the workplace have become the subject of much controversy and litigation. Employers get into trouble implementing these rules usually...

2003 could be a pivotal year for long-term care. (Regulations/Compliance).
January 11, 2003... Q For better and worse, what are your regulatory and legislative expectations and predictions for long-term care in 2003? A The next year is a real turning point since, with adequate funding, long-term care can make progress on many of the...

Create feedback paths for worker progress. (Staffing Concerns).
January 11, 2003... Q: How do I get my people to focus on development/getting better at their Job? My assistant administrator and directors want to go to training but I am not sure it will develop them or If they are focused on the right areas. A: I believe...

Reimbursement levels force costs analysis. (Payment Answers).
January 11, 2003... Q: What are the biggest reimbursement Issues facing providers in the year ahead? A: The primary reimbursement issue has to be the Medicare "cliff," which hit the nursing home facilities on Oct 1. As of that date, Medicare reimbursement...

Computer-based products continue to evolve. (Industry Innovators).
January 11, 2003... Software and information technology options for long-term care may involve some of the quickest changing products and services today. The CareTracker System is a unique event-tracking system designed by Resource Systems and marketed by...

Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP. (Law Firms).
January 11, 2003... Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP has expanded its healthcare group and created a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) task force.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP. (Law Firms).
January 11, 2003... Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, headquartered in Philadelphia, recently created a healthcare regulatory group which deals with reimbursement, compliance, Medicare/Medicaid, fraud and abuse issues, and other long-term care topics.

American Data. (Product Focus).
January 11, 2003... Dedicated to long-term care computer solutions since 1984, American Data has focused on daily "documentation" of care delivery staff as the true source of all other required documents. Thus, ECS (Electronic Chart System) with accounts...

Briggs Corp. (Product Focus).
January 11, 2003... HIP -- the HIPAA Implementation Program -- is an easy-to-use, automated software that helps you build a comprehensive gap analysis, and create and assign an action task list to achieve compliance. The program includes every form you need and is...

Quickcare Inc. (Product Focus).
January 11, 2003... The total solution for your information technology requirements. Software for clinical, billing, accounts receivable, general ledger, accounts payable and payroll, fully integrated with no duplication of data entry. Designed to operate on your...

Keane Care, Inc. (Product Focus).
January 11, 2003... Keane Care, Inc. is the leading provider of long-term and post-acute care software. We offer VistaKEANE, a sophisticated, yet easy to use Windows-based financial and clinical software system. This fully integrated system easily handles the...

Pharmacy care grows up. (Q&A).
January 11, 2003... A lot has happened since 1974, when the federal government first began mandating pharmacists review nursing home residents' drug usage. Nearly 30 years later, however, nursing homes still are not taking full advantage of consultant pharmacists...

A new way for 2003. (Commentary).
January 11, 2003... We all know that Will Rogers once said that even if you're on the right track, you better move because sooner or later you'll get run over. Yet not all of us do that. McKnight's Long-Term Care News is on the move. As you've probably...

Premier Health Care. (Milestones).
January 11, 2003... SANDRA HOWARD has been named director of HIPAA and corporate compliance for Premier Health Care Management. Previously, she was the administrator of Kenwood Terrace Care Center, a Premier 108-bed skilled nursing facility, also in Cincinnati.

Hyatt Care Center. (Milestones).
January 11, 2003... ROSERAGER has been named care center administrator for Donnelly Place, a Classic Residence by Hyatt Care Center on the campus of Lakeside Village in Lantana, FL. Most recently she was administrator for Palm Garden of North Miami Beach, a...

Alzheimer's service. (Milestones).
January 11, 2003... ANDREA CATIZONE is the new director of Alzheimer's services for Benchmark Assisted Living, a 30-community entity based in Wellesley, MA.

Wesley Health Care Center Inc. (Milestones).
January 11, 2003... J. BRIAN NEALSON is the CEO and administrator of Wesley Health Care Center Inc. in Saratoga Springs, NY. He oversees a 356-bed nursing home, Embury Apartments, Woodlawn Commons Senior Living and Wesley Evergreen Adult Day Services.

Pennsylvania Association. (Milestones).
January 11, 2003... Four members of the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging were named to the state's "Top 100 Best Places to Work" list as decided by the governor's office and various business partners. They included the No. 1 honoree,...

Genesis Health Venture. (Milestones).
January 11, 2003... ROBERT FISH, interim CEO for Genesis Health Ventures, Kennett Square, PA, also was named interim Chairman of the Board.

Charles Town Care. (Milestones).
January 11, 2003... In West Virginia, CHERYL CARNES is administrator of Charles Town Care and Rehabilitation Center (formerly IHS of West Virginia); WILLIAM BIAS is administrator at Heritage Center; PAUL CAUDILL is interim administrator for Summers County...

What's a cost-cutting step you recommend? (Reader Poll).
January 11, 2003... Administrator, Rolling Hills Health Center, Topeka, KS The quickest and easiest way to cut costs is to look closely at labor. You need to decide what you have and what you really need. I found that, over the years, as upper management was...

Talk about service: one nursing home administrator has taken to the airwaves in an effort to help the public become better informed about LTC and other options. (LTCN Profile).
January 11, 2003... McKnight's Don't tell Stacey Del Priore that talk is cheap. The Village of Heritage Administrator believes words can help people become better informed. And each week, she uses words to do just that on Stepping Stones of Life, a radio show...

It's time for a little peer pressure: a few bad players are getting this field into a lot of trouble. why do we keep letting them get away with it? (Parting Shots).
January 11, 2003... Year-end trade shows are always a treat. It's great to see old friends and colleagues, meet new people, share ideas, trade scuttlebutt and see what's new in the marketplace. It's not possible to walk away from these shows without...