McKnight's Long-Term Care News articles from March 2002

McKnight's Long-Term Care News archives from March 2002

A controversial analysis. (Late Breaking News).
March 1, 2002... A controversial analysis of recent nursing home inspection and complaint reports tabbed Nasvhille the "best" area for nursing quality and Wichita the "worst." Denver-based HealthGrades also said 32% of nursing homes accepting federal funds had...

Nursing home association. (Late Breaking News).
March 1, 2002... Nursing home association leaders called on Congress and the White House to approve an additional $8 billion in Medicaid funding for fiscal year 2003, and to retain $3 billion in Medicare payment add-ons set to expire Oct. 1. Without Medicare...

Members of Congress. (Late Breaking News).
March 1, 2002... Members of Congress were looking for ways to hold off the March 19 implementation of a final rule that would cut Medicaid upper payment limits for public providers.

Sun Healthcare Group. (Late Breaking News).
March 1, 2002... Sun Healthcare Group was expecting to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of February after a federal judge approved its plan of reorganization earlier in the month.

Understaffing plagues 91%: Federal report.
March 1, 2002... More than 91% of nursing homes in the United States are operating at staffing levels too low to provide "minimally necessary" care, and labor shortages are expected to worsen, according to anew federal report. The report stopped short of...

Ads about care quality still cloaked in mystery: Pilot project admittedly less than perfect. (News).
March 1, 2002... Although the first round of data from the nursing home quality initiative pilot program is set to be published online and in newspaper advertisements soon, no one -- neither providers nor government officials -- was sure how that data was to...

Coming Medicare reimbursement 'dance' could be a real cliff-hanger: Experts expect Congress to shrug off most MedPAC staff recommendations to cut funding. (News).
March 1, 2002... "The Dance" began this year with a stomp on most nursing homes' feet. But there should be good news for those facilities' toes by the time the music stops later this year, experts say. "The Dance" is long-term care's annual tango with...

Databank.
March 1, 2002... Databank Hazardous hearts Heart disease remained the No. 1 killer in the United States in 1999, the latest year for which statistics are available. Some noteworthy causes of death and their toll Cardiovascular disease...

Hard data. (News).
March 1, 2002... 10.11 The average hourly wage (in dollars) for healthcare support group workers in 2000, according to the Labor Department's Bureau of Statistics. 19 Number of merger and acquisition deals in the long-term care sector in the...

Federal review: SNFs a 'shaky house'. (News).
March 1, 2002... The nursing facility sector appears to be performing better, but "Wall Street remains skittish," notes a recent report released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Not all the conclusions from the study were negative,...

Labor board: Nurses are not supervisors. (News).
March 1, 2002... Registered nurses at a 200-bed New Jersey nursing home should not be considered supervisors and therefore can be considered union members, a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board has ruled. The RNs in question performed...

Regulatory update. (Capital Briefing).
March 1, 2002... The Federal Register is available on he Internet. The address is www. access.gpo.gov/nara. CMS DROPS MDS REQUIREMENT In a rule change yet to be published, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Thomas Scully said his...

Storm rising: States' Medicaid budgets come under siege. (News).
March 1, 2002... Medicaid, which pays for nearly two-thirds of all nursing home patients, is in crisis mode, and state governments are scrambling like never before for solutions. Some states are looking for answers in reduced or delayed services. In some...

Operators block attempt to lower Medicaid rates. (State News: Midwest).
March 1, 2002... Indianapolis -- The Indiana Superior Court has blocked rollbacks in Medicaid reimbursement to state nursing homes that would have cost providers $22.5 million over the six-month period ending March 31. The Indiana Health Care Association...

Nursing homes hoping for cap on certain damages. (State News: Midwest).
March 1, 2002... Des Moines, IA -- Iowa lawmakers are being asked to pass what some are saying would be the most restrictive limits on nursing home lawsuit damages in the country. Legislators are considering capping pain-and-suffering damages collected by...

Bill to toughen SNF oversight gains support. (State News: Midwest).
March 1, 2002... St. Louis -- A bill that would allow Missouri to revoke the license of nursing homes cited twice for the same life-threatening violation in a two-year period appears to have gained momentum. At a recent state hearing on the bill, no one...

Bill would allow 'grannycams' into nursing homes. (State News: Southeast).
March 1, 2002... Baton Rouge, LA -- Long-term care workers in Louisiana are protesting a bill introduced by Rep. Sharon Broome (D-Baton Rouge) that would permit nursing home residents or their families to install video cameras in rooms. Residents or their...

Doctors protest state report favoring video surveillance. (State News: Southeast).
March 1, 2002... West Palm Beach, FL -- A state report that recommends that surveillance cameras be permitted in bedroom and bathroom areas of Florida nursing home patients is being roundly criticized by the Florida Medical Directors Association. The...

Mississippi Senate votes to curtail nursing home lawsuits. (State News: Southeast).
March 1, 2002... Jackson, MS -- The Mississippi state Senate has approved a bill that would cut back the statute of limitation for nursing homes lawsuits to two years from three after an injury is discovered. The bill, which still needs to clear the House,...

Kindred names former Mariner exec Diaz president, COO. (State News: Southeast).
March 1, 2002... Louisville, KY - Paul J. Diaz, formerly the executive vice president and COO at Mariner Health Group, was named to the same post at Kindred Healthcare Inc., the Louisville, KY- based company has announced. Diaz most recently was the...

First Medicaid waiver trimming coverage approved for Utah. (State News: Southwest).
March 1, 2002... Salt Lake City -- Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has approved a unique waiver to allow Utah to extend Medicaid coverage to 25,000 uninsured residents while reducing benefits for existing beneficiaries. Utah is the first...

State associations join suit asking for higher Medicaid rates. (State News: Southwest).
March 1, 2002... Austin, TX -- The Texas Health Care Association and Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging have filed a joint amicus brief in support of the Texas Alliance for Nursing Homes' suit to compel the state to abide by the terms of a...

New York grants $505 million for LTC worker training. (State News: Northeast).
March 1, 2002... New York -- Gov. George Pataki signed into law the Health Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention Act, which will provide more than a half billion dollars to state nursing homes to boost recruiting, retention and quality care efforts over the...

Bill would restrict billing changes made by nursing homes. (State News: Northeast).
March 1, 2002... Charleston, WV -- Nursing homes would have to give at least a 60-day notice before instituting a rate increase under a bill proposed in the state House. The bill also would freeze rates for the first 90 days of a resident's stay. Del....

MA operators trying to block lower Medicaid rate hikes. (State News: Northeast).
March 1, 2002... Boston -- Nursing home operators in Massachusetts are trying to prevent the implementation of a Medicaid rate hike that they say would be too low. It would be valid for the first six months of the year, they say. Eight nursing home...

CCRCs growing, but not seen as threat to traditional facilities. (Business).
March 1, 2002... Continuing Care Retirement Communities promise traditional home-like accommodations, near-luxurious amenities and the ability to move through the care continuum without leaving a community. Their number nationwide is growing fast. And in a...

Winners & Losers.
March 1, 2002... WINNERS & LOSERS Company name Percent change (*) Winners Emeritus Corp. (ESC) 59% Alterra Healthcare Corp. (ALI) 45% Capitol Senior Living (CSU)...

Genesis Health Ventures. (New Business).
March 1, 2002... Genesis Health Ventures, Kennett Square, PA, announced that Nasdaq approved listing of Genesis common stock on the National Market System and trading began Feb. 8. The trading symbol for Genesis common stock is GHVI and warrants will be GHVIW....

Sunrise Assisted Living Inc. (New Business).
March 1, 2002... McLean, VA-based Sunrise Assisted Living Inc. announced that it has entered into an investment agreement with DB Real Estate, the real estate investment and management group of the German Deutsche Bank. The two have agreed to form a joint...

Cobble Hill Health Center. (Construction).
March 1, 2002... Cobble Hill Health Center, a not-for-profit multi-service nursing care facility in Brooklyn, NY., opened a $2 million rehabilitation center. The center will serve short-term patients, ranging in age from teenagers to the elderly, as well as...

Bethesda Homes. (Construction).
March 1, 2002... Bethesda Homes, Willmar, MN, began construction on a 20-unit assisted living facility in Olivia, MN. The 22,000 square foot facility features all one-bedroom apartments with kitchens and living rooms. The facility is being designed by the...

ACTS Retirement-Life Communities Inc. (Construction).
March 1, 2002... ACTS Retirement-Life Communities Inc., West Point, PA, recently announced plans for the development of a senior resort retirement community on land in south Iredell County, NC. The proposed community would include one-, two- and three-bedroom...

Red Mortgage Capital Inc. (Financing).
March 1, 2002... Red Mortgage Capital Inc., Columbus, OH, announced that it underwrote and funded a $42 million bridge loan that was collateralized by mortgages from 14 nursing facilities in Indiana. MMM-Invest, an Indiana-based owner and operator of long-term...

Tri Capital. (Financing).
March 1, 2002... Tri Capital, San Francisco, arranged financing for a new assisted living facility in Tooele, UT. A 40-year $4.2 million HUD 232 loan to Tooele Senior Cottages LLC will finance the construction of Tooele Cottage Glen. The facility will...

Leading LTC Firms.
March 1, 2002... Leading LTC Firms Top long-term care facilities 1/31 1/3 Company Market capitalization (*) 1 2 Healthcare Property $2,117 Investors Inc. (HCP) 2 1 Manor...

Focus group often uncover key issues. (Marketing Issues).
March 1, 2002... Q: I've heard a lot about focus groups lately. How do they work? Should I use them? A: Focus groups are a viable tactic to use in gathering information. Basically, they provide a representative sample of your target population and offer...

Therapy cap, proper RUGs 2002 priorities. (Regulatory Issues).
March 1, 2002... Q: What ore the top NASL priorities for 2002 and why? A: The Association's priorities for 2002 are largely impacted by the actions of 2001 and the fact that neither the Congress nor the administration were able to finalize a Medicare bill,...

Young workers face limits on hours, duties. (Legal Issues).
March 1, 2002... Q: I think I have a good pool of high school kids in the area who will work in various jobs at my facility. I know there are child labor laws, but what do I need to be especially careful about in this regard? A: Look before you leap. When...

Management job missing something: Adequate training. (Workplace Issues).
March 1, 2002... Q: I am a DON who was recently promoted rather quickly to the position. I have tried it but am sure this is not the job for me. I'd love to stay at my facility in my old capacity as an RN. Is this realistic? A: If you really do not have...

Bed rail provides storage space and support. (New Products).
March 1, 2002... Maddak Inc. The Ableware [R] AbleRide [TM] Bed Rail turns ordinary beds into convenient storage areas while providing support for getting in and out of bed. It also adds a sense of security to people who are afraid of falling out of bed....

Wheelchair brake helps prevent falls. (New Products).
March 1, 2002... AliMed Inc. The QualCare[TM] AutoBrake helps prevent patient wheelchair injuries by stopping the major cause of these accidents - backward wheelchair movement when the user rises from the wheelchair. It acts as a backup safety precaution...

Cleansing system reduces bathing time. (New Products).
March 1, 2002... Precision Dynamics Corporation The new Redi+Wash total body cleansing system does away with rinsing, towel drying and applying lotion. According to the company, bathing time is reduced by 60%. The thick ultra soft cloths are saturated with...

AMI Capital Inc. (Financial Services).
March 1, 2002... AMI Capital achieved record lending volume of almost $1 billion in 2001. The firm expects even greater production this year, by increasing residential healthcare financing through its market dominant Section 232 MAP product line. AMI...

Wireless transmitter protects wanderers. (New Products).
March 1, 2002... Xmark, a division of Instantel Xmark introduces a product addition to its WatchMate System, an RF-based system for protecting healthcare residents who wander. Like the existing Watchlet, the new Watchlet Plus works with the current...

Healthcare Business Credit Corporation. (Financial Services).
March 1, 2002... Healthcare Business Credit Corporation provides programs designed to finance working capital acquisitions and growth in existing operations, as well as ways to restructure existing debt obligations. We have particular expertise in structuring...

Capital Funding Group Inc. (Financial Services).
March 1, 2002... The team at Capital Funding Group has more than 50 years combined experience in originating, processing, closing and servicing FHA-insured loans for healthcare facilities. At CFG, you receive truly personal service whether you are a single...

Who will care? (People & Opinions).
March 1, 2002... The long-term care workforce crisis is more than just a numbers problem. It's a challenge that will require changes in the way workforces are recruited, managed and retained. That includes giving certified nurses aides more power. Dr. Robyn...

We're not all 'good' -- is that bad? (Commentary).
March 1, 2002... For ages, journalists have faced a common question: Why don't you print just "good" news? Thankfully, a respected source in the long-term care field asks us just that in this issue's "Letters" column (see p. 24). We print both...

Letters.
March 1, 2002... AVOID NEGATIVE ITEMS To the Editor: I am referencing the Jan. 11 issue of your publication, specifically the "Nursing Report." I feel that it is important for your publication to provide such a column, and in so doing, provide a...

Stop the stigmas. (Having my Say).
March 1, 2002... I am a long-term care worker who is "proud to be an American" and just as proud to be a nursing home administrator. I read negative stories in the press surrounding the operational practices of our industry and am frequently exposed to the...

Degree earner first of a kind. (LTC Profile: James Watson).
March 1, 2002... What does a seasoned government housing professional and real estate planning and development entrepreneur do with a career that's brought decades of pleasure, satisfaction and success? If you're James Watson, you go back to school, bury...

A number of healthcare organizations. (Late Breaking News).
March 22, 2002... A number of healthcare organizations filed suit March 7 in U.S. District Court in Arkansas, suing the Department of Health and Human Services in an attempt to block the March 19 implementation of a 50% cut in the Medicaid upper payment limit...

Rep. Phil English. (Late Breaking News).
March 22, 2002... Rep. Phil English (R-PA) introduced a bill (H.R. 3834) that would repeal the Medicare out-patient rehabilitation therapy caps set at $1,500 per patient per year. A moratorium on the caps is set to expire in December.

Integrated Health Services. (Late Breaking News).
March 22, 2002... Integrated Health Services, one of the nation's largest nursing home chains, said it planned to file a reorganization plan by the middle of this year. It filed for bankruptcy protection in February 2000.

Older women. (Late Breaking News).
March 22, 2002... Older women who take hormone replacement therapy may be able to stave off pressure sores, a new study suggests, but more investigation is needed, British researchers said.

Employee scrutiny bill gains support.
March 22, 2002... For the first time, both major nursing home associations have publicly endorsed a bill requiring criminal background checks for potential long-term care workers. The associations came on board after the addition of a clause guaranteeing...

Test trouble. (Databank).
March 22, 2002... Databank Test trouble The number of applicants for the nursing home administrator licensing examination continued to decline last year Year Number Annual change 1989 4,640 (*) 1997 3,624 +1.5% 1998 3,341...

Quality report card debate heats up. (News).
March 22, 2002... As the April 15 publication date for the first data regarding the President's new nursing home quality initiative approached, two other collections of national nursing home data were widely criticized by politicians and provider groups for...

More violation data going online: Study reveals thousands of infractions not revealed to consumers. (News).
March 22, 2002... Provider blemishes are about to be more fully bared on the government's "Nursing Home Compare" Web site. Administration officials said they would soon add thousands of violations verified but previously unreported on the Web site, which...

Hard data. (News).
March 22, 2002... 1.04 Billions of dollars spent on total food purchases for nursing homes in 2001, one-fifth that of the hospital segment, according to Technomic Inc., a foodservice industry research firm. 8.5 Number of additional hours of care...

SNF care tops $100,000 in some areas. (News).
March 22, 2002... A survey of nursing home costs found that the nationwide annual average cost at a skilled nursing facility is $54,900. In the 10 most expensive areas, average annual costs exceed $80,000. The study, commissioned by GE Long Term Care...

Senators warned of geriatric care shortage. (News).
March 22, 2002... Long-term care experts recently warned the Senate Special Committee on Aging that the nation's healthcare system is severely unprepared to handle the coming influx of Americans over the age of 85. Few U.S. health professionals, or medical...

Excluded providers targeted. (Regulatory Update).
March 22, 2002... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are developing the Medicare Exclusion Database. The tool will ensure reimbursements are not made to providers excluded from participating in federal healthcare programs, according to a notice in the...

Ambulance payment update. (Regulatory Update).
March 22, 2002... Federal Register 2-27-02. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' final rule with comment period establishes a Medicare fee schedule for ambulance service payments. For providers, the new schedule will replace the retrospective...

MEDPAC: Reward better care. (Regulatory Update).
March 22, 2002... Medicare should incorporate quality improvement standards that recognize differing capabilities of Medicare+Choice plans and fee-for-service providers and reward them for high-quality performance and improvement, the Medicare Payment Advisory...

Legislative update. (Regulatory Update).
March 22, 2002... S. 1955 would require that the area wage adjustment under the prospective payment system for skilled nursing facility services be based on the wages of individuals employed at skilled nursing facilities. Sponsor: Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI)....

AWP perils a tough pill for providers to swallow. (News).
March 22, 2002... As the long-term care sector eagerly awaits programs that could ease the pain of climbing prescription drug costs, renewed governmental criticism of average wholesale pricing practices could create an even bigger set of problems. One of...

Staffing controversy brews as CMS finalizes report: Leak causes uproar; exact ratios not expected, but more studies are. (Cover Story).
March 22, 2002... Federal officials left the long-term care community on edge in early March, neither criticizing nor affirming the contents of a controversial front-page New York Times story about a government report on nursing home staffing levels that was...

Alzheimer's drug advances good for LTC community. (News).
March 22, 2002... With dozens of pharmaceuticals either in the pipeline or already in seniors' care plans, Alzheimer's disease is finally making headlines for more positive reasons. The latest entries in the drug arsenal against the disease range from those...

Federal reforms sought in wake of resident abuse reports. (News).
March 22, 2002... Providers are certain to feel more pressure to promptly report and explain incidents of physical or sexual abuse in nursing homes after the release of a new government report and a Senate hearing on the subject. A General Accounting Office...

Supreme Court hands states, providers a Medicaid 'win'. (Business).
March 22, 2002... Embattled state Medicaid budgets, and by extension long-term care providers, finally had reason to cheer over a funding issue recently when the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right to use the "income-first" method of determining Medicaid...

Stock Watch: Winners & Losers. (Business).
March 22, 2002... [Graph omitted] WINNERS & LOSERS Winners Company name Percent change (*) Emeritus Corp. (ESC) 54% ARV Assisted Living (SRS) 6%...

Senior Housing Properties Trust. (New Business).
March 22, 2002... Senior Housing Properties Trust, (SNH) Newton MA, completed a $600 million acquisition of 31 senior living communities from Crestline Capital Corp. The properties contain 7,487 living units, a majority of which are independent living...

Five Star Quality Care Inc. (New Business).
March 22, 2002... Five Star Quality Care Inc., Newton MA, announced that it entered into an agreement to buy five senior living communities in California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska for $45.5 million. The company will acquire 531 independent living...

Emeritus Assisted Living. (New Business).
March 22, 2002... Emeritus Assisted Living, Seattle, announced that it has signed agreements to provide management and consulting services for 18 assisted living communities on behalf of Regent Assisted Living Inc., a Portland, OR-based operator of assisted...

Lutheran Affiliated Services. (Construction).
March 22, 2002... Lutheran Affiliated Services recently broke ground for Phase 3 of its Crown Pointe Senior Living Community, Center Township, Butler, IN. Phase 3 consists of 40 new two-bedroom condominiums with attached garages and approximately 1,086 square...

Carefree Senior Living. (Construction).
March 22, 2002... Carefree Senior Living, Las Vegas, announced it would begin construction of its first community outside of Nevada, a 908-unit senior living community in Sacramento, CA. The community will have 500 senior apartments, 204 congregate units and 204...

Northern Manor MultiCare Center. (Construction).
March 22, 2002... Northern Manor MultiCare Center, Nanuet, NY, announced the opening of its newly constructed Ventilator Dependent Unit. The unit consists of 15 ventilator beds as well as 21 beds for respiratory-related illnesses. The skilled nursing facility...

Cambridge Realty Capital Companies. (Financing).
March 22, 2002... Cambridge Realty Capital Companies, Chicago, provided a $2.6 million HUD loan to Heritage Monterey, a nursing home in Monterey Park, CA. The HUD-insured permanent first mortgage loan was arranged in order to refinance the 99-bed facility. The...

Leading LTC firms. (Business).
March 22, 2002... Leading LTC Firms Top long-term care facilities 2/26 1/31 Company Market capitalization (*) 1 1 Healthcare Property Investors $2,128...

First impressions are truly most important. (Marketing Issues).
March 22, 2002... Q: What should I consider about a visitor's first impression? A: Remember the adage, "You only get one chance to make a first impression?" Well, it's true! With spring just around the corner, it is a good time to take a hard look at your...

Others may suffer if doctors get Medicare hike. (Regulatory Issues).
March 22, 2002... Q: Whet implications could the "Medicare Physician Payment Fairness Act" -- with its $30 billion price tag - have for the long-term care industry? A: The "Medicare Physician Payment Fairness Act" was introduced in both the House and Senate...

Look before leaping into self-insurance pool. (Legal Issues).
March 22, 2002... Q: We're thinking of getting into a self-insurance pool to lower liability insurance costs. What are some concerns regarding this? A: There is a commercial insurance liability "crisis" for providers. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed with...

Devise rituals to deal with resident deaths. (Workplace Issues).
March 22, 2002... Q: Workers, myself included, tend to get pretty attached to some of the residents and then became somewhat depressed when they die. Suggestions? A: Developing and maintaining relationships is most likely one of the main reasons you and...